The Old Man and the Sea: Destroyed But Not Defeated

Another very important quotation in the novel The Old Man and the Sea that describes Santiago as a whole comes right after the first shark attack on the marlin. This quote is “a man can be destroyed but not defeated.” I believe that this quote really does justice to Santiago’s resiliency throughout the entire novel. To me, this quote means that a man may be beaten physically, but if his spirit and will are still strong, then his legacy will never be defeated. This is exactly what happens with Santiago. The dastardly shovel-nosed sharks may have destroyed his prize fish, but the people of the village gave him the respect he really deserved. I also respect Santiago for his resiliency. That is a rare and admirable trait for a man to have. Santiago is super persistent. I do not think that any normal person would battle with a fish for three straight days. This just shows what kind of person Santiago really is. Another account of his persistence dates back to when he arm wrestled the Negro of Cienfuegos. Maybe one reason that the other fishermen in the village did not previously respect Santiago was because he is too old fashioned. With his being old fashioned comes his being so stubborn. Stubbornness is often confused with being persistent and resilient. I believe this was the case with the other fishermen in the village. Maybe Hemingway was trying to say something about himself personally through this quote. Hemingway seems like a good guy to me, so I can infer that he was relating himself in some ways to Santiago. I do not know his full life story, but I would assume he is similar to Santiago in many ways. Therefore, this quote most likely relates to Hemingway directly and not just Santiago. I do like this quote because of its significance to not only plot line, but it also most likely plays, or played a part in the author’s life as well.