Santiago’s character, as outlined through the following quotes, is simple, endearing, and quite easy to empathize with. Through the themes, man verse nature, nature, and kinship, and perseverance, his emotional considerations of the world are laid bare.
Man versus Nature
Man versus nature is one of the primary themes in “The Old Man and the Sea.“ The plot revolves around the old man’s attempts to win a battle against nature. Let’s look at some of the most important and powerful quotes on this theme.
“But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
Santiago, Page 103
After catching the marlin and losing it to the sharks, Santiago feels drained, emotionless, and, above all else, exhausted. Despite losing his much-labored fish, he knows he hasn’t been defeated. The fish itself has been destroyed, as has all his hard work. But he did catch it. He broke his streak of bad luck and proved himself worthy of the magnificent marlin.
Santiago also showed himself to be the more powerful of the two. As he states in the novella, he feels a kinship to the fish, but he must kill it. He was determined to do what he needed to complete his task, even if he died too. Santiago made himself proud and showed all those who doubted him back in the village that he was a skilled fisherman with an unmatched power of will.
“Let him think that I am more man than I am and I will be so.”
Santiago about the fish, Page 60
Santiago speaks out loud to himself, as he’d gotten in the habit of, while still fighting the marlin. He considers his role as a man, fisherman, and a living being on the planet. He spends much time considering what the marlin must think and worrying about showing weakness. He knows the marlin might realize its strength and break the line if he does.
He knows he needs to maintain his strength or at least the illusion of strength. Part of this seemingly endless endeavor to catch the marlin and break his bad luck is inspired by a desire to reclaim something of his youth. He wants to show himself that he’s still strong.
“I may not be as strong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have resolution.”
Santiago to Manolin, Page 15
Manolin tries to cheer Santiago up by telling him how great a fisherman he is, but Santiago is modest. This scene shows Manolin’s care for old Santiago and Santiago’s appreciation of the boy’s devotion. Santiago is a skilled fisherman with decades of experience. He knows what it will take to catch a great fish and evaluates his ability aptly. The old man knows he will have to lean on his knowledge as much as his strength to succeed.
“You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 92
This occurs at the climax of the old man’s fight with the fish, both tired and desperate. The fish’s desperate strength is against the last of the man’s skill and aptitude. The old man is becoming delirious, and his thoughts are wild and reckless. He has to remind himself to keep his wits and suffer with a clear mind. Those final moments require him to make no mistakes that might cost him his prize.
Most people were heartless about turtles because a turtle’s heart will beat for hours after it has been cut up and butchered. But the old man thought, I have such a heart too.
Santiago’s thoughts Page 30
In one of his musings about when he sets out in the boat, the man’s thoughts wander from Portuguese men-of-war floating by his boat, to turtles that eat them, to the time in the past that he had been on turtle boats, His impression of turtle’s heart that beat long after the animals are slaughtered is used as a metaphor for hardy, long-suffering things. He likens himself to turtles.
Nature and Kinship
In “The Old Man and the Sea,” Hemingway explores the delicately balanced relationship between different animals in the marine ecosystem. One appreciates the sea—vast, accommodating, and sustaining to all the living creatures within and around it—as la mar, the imagery of a nurturing woman.
“The fish is my friend too…I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars. Imagine if each day a man must try to kill the moon, he thought. The moon runs away. But imagine if a man each day should have to try to kill the sun? We were born lucky; he thought”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 72
This is one of the most moving quotes in “The Old Man and the Sea.” It comes while Santiago considers humankind’s state and place within the earth’s ecosystem. He spends a great deal of time considering his relationship with the marlin. He is a friend to the fish, and the fish is a friend to him. They are brothers in the world. But Santiago knows he has to kill him. His task seems impossible, and with a simple purity that defines the old man’s character, he muses on how life would be different if “each day a man must try to kill the moon.” The moon and the sun are far out of reach and continue to “run away.” Humanity is, he thinks, “born lucky” that they only have to kill fish.
“Take a good rest, small bird,” he said. “Then go in and take your chance like any man or bird or fish.”
Santiago to a warbler that lands on his boat, Page 49
There are several tender moments in “The Old Man and the Sea, ” which Santiago’s gentle character shows through. One of the most prominent is when a small bird lands on his boat. He is happy for the company, speaking to it off and on as he would to Manolin. The old man tells the bird it’s welcome to rest for a time. But, eventually, it will have to take its chance in the world just like everyone else.
“Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel?”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 21
Just as the old man leaves the harbor with other boats, his thoughts flit about touching the flying fish, the birds by the shore, and the sea, noting the ones that had it hard and that had it easy on the sea. He comments on the contrast between the delicacy of the birds that depend on the sea for their lives and the cruelty of the vast open sea. But he also thinks the sea is beautiful, even in its cruelty.
Santiago’s Perseverance
Without his incredible perseverance and persistence of will, Santiago would not ever have caught the marlin in “The Old Man and the Sea.” It was a distant, ideal prize. He fought, struggled, and suffered to prove himself more powerful and deserving of such a prize. As he contended with the days and nights of his struggle, he also mused on his state of mind. He thought:
“It’s silly not to hope. It’s a sin he thought.”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 106
Having killed the marlin so far out into the sea and having a long sail back to shore, Santiago now has a new worry: sharks. He now hopes to keep enough of his catch to make a sale ashore. Santiago believes in luck, hope, and the power of all living things. He knows that he’ll be able to catch the fish with perseverance and maintain hope. This quote can also be applied to the old man’s situation before hooking the marlin. Despite the looks and words of other fishermen and Manolin’s parents, he never gives up during his eighty-four-day streak of bad luck.
“But I must have the confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel.”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 64
When the old man catches the marlin, he fights it long and hard, and the marlin fights back with equal intensity to keep its life. His left arm cramps, and he has to lose himself in thought to keep his wits together. Santiago calls up the image of Di Maggio, who kept on playing baseball, even with a bone spur in his hand, and this drawing this parallel between him and the great DiMaggio helps him persevere and hold onto his catch.
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with that there is.”
Santiago musing, Page 33
Santiago has just gone out of sight of the land and can only see the tops of the hills in the distance. He is lost in thought as he prepares to catch a fish. He begins to talk to himself and catches himself. This habit will mark him as crazy to others. He says this to ground himself in his attempt and nothing else, to focus only on catching his desired fish.
“Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 25
This thought strikes Santiago when he sets out on his boat and perhaps is influenced by his long run of bad luck. Luck is a powerful thing if one chooses to believe in it. Santiago doesn’t think he can create luck for himself but that it will come when he decides to. While fishing, he depends heavily on being “exact.” He wants to be prepared for whatever comes, and readying his gear will be more beneficial than worrying about whether luck will smile on him on his eighty-fifth day.
“Do not think about sin, he thought. There are enough problems now without sin. Also I have no understanding of it.”
Santiago’s thoughts, Page 106
He becomes despondent when the old man kills the first shark that attacks his catch and understands that others may follow up on the attack. He vacillates between hope and despair and chooses to hope because not hoping is a sin. But even these thoughts are unnecessary distractions and unfamiliar to him, a simple fisherman who only knows how to fish.
“I think perhaps I can too. But I try not to borrow. First you borrow. Then you beg.”
Santiago to Manolin, page 10
Santiago and Manolin discuss an upcoming baseball game, what to bet on, and how to obtain the money. Manolin suggests borrowing the money, but Santiago demurs, stating that it’s a slippery slope to having to beg. Featuring early in the book, this exchange helps us calibrate the old man as a man of character and self-possessed dignity. His actions are measured and prudent, and he is dignified even in poverty.
He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.
The narrator about Santiago and Manolin, Page 5
The scene is where Manolin offers Santiago some sardines and encouragement and renews his confidence after his unlucky streak of eighty-four days without a catch. The man accepts Manolin’s gifts with gratitude and humility and does not feel reduced or insecure about needing the young boy’s attention and care. These do not wound his pride.
