Santiago is a perfect example of Hemingway's Code Hero, which is a
man who fights to the end no matter the odds and and who displays great
courage and grace under pressure. Santiago proved this on several
First he proved it when he had the courage to go out far into the ocean
in search of the big fish. Then he showed it when he had the courage to hold
and struggle with the huge marlin for three days. But he really
proved it when he fought off the sharks who wanted to eat the marlin.
First, Santiago proved he was brave when he dared to venture out
far into the gulf to look for the big fish. This despite the fact that he
had never been that far out into the gulf. He even dared to venture
out alone with nobody to help him. He knew the dangers of fishing
in unknown waters. He knew that he could drift away and get lost. He knew
that he could encounter some of the evil creatures of the sea. But he had
gone eighty four days without catching a fish and was constantly being
ridiculed by the younger fishermen so he was willing to go do anything to
Then Santiago proved how brave he was when he was struggling with
the marlin. He could have easily let the marlin go. But he could not stand
going home one more day being looked at as an aging failure by the
other fisherman. This is why he held on to the fishing line even though it
was tearing the skin off his hands. But Santiago thought of Joe DiMaggio
playing despite a bone spur, and that made him ignore all of his pain and
hold on. After three long days of fighting the marlin, Santiago finally caught
But Santiago really showed his courage when the sharks attacked the
marlin. He killed the first shark to come at the marlin, but the blood only
attracted more sharks. He knew that the fate of the marlin was
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