The Old Man and the Sea - 9

The old man in the book The Old Man and the Sea is the main character as well as the protagonist of the story. When you read the novella, it is obvious as to why the old man is the protagonist in the novella. The story is focused on him, revolves around him, and he does things that make him deserve the right to be called protagonist. It also helps that there are only two human characters in this story that have a speaking role in the book, so one of the two characters is the protagonist, and I am certain that it is the old man, Santiago.

The old man has many character traits about him that make him the protagonist of the story. In the beginning of the novella we see the old man's determination to catch a fish even though e had not caught one since eighty-five consecutive days prior to that day. This old man's determination is something that the reader takes note of when reading this book and is a quality that helps the man to catch the biggest fish that he has ever caught in his entire lifetime.

The old man is also very independent. The man lives alone in a shack, and no longer has a wife. He is very self-sufficient and lives off of the fish he catches, unless the boy brings him other food. the man does not need others to books his confidence and does not need to rely on others for anything. Even though he does not need others, he lets others help him, which shows his humility. Humility is something that many people struggle with and him having humility is so neat and also helps him to learn the lessons that he learns while out catching the big marlin.

While the man is out at sea he does not get discouraged easily. Although it seems like he should give up, he does not. He keeps pressing forward and remains determined. This is a trait that is so hard to have. When times get tough, it is so easy to give up. This man, did not give up. He pushed himself beyond the point of what he thought he could to, to catch the fish. He wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. He was even willing to die to do it.

After he catches the fish and brings it back, it is disheveled and had been eaten by sharks. The fish is still a trophy and something worth gloating about because of how big it is. However, the old man sees past this and is not proud of the fish so he does not show it off. Instead the old man finds glory in his determination and pride that allowed him to catch the mighty fish.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.