His main heroic trait, determination, can be easily detected when he ventures out further than ever to catch a fish. Not only does he have to be determined to even venture out that far, but he also has to be determined to not let the fish go when he is fighting it at the other end of the pole and on his long way back home. During the whole struggle, mentally and physically, Santiago stayed determined. It is also a bigger gain for him personally to catch the fish than it is to show everyone they were wrong. That is a hero.
He also shows great courage. He doesn't just go home and pout when he can't catch a fish and when all the other fishermen are making fun of him. He goes out and does something about it. That takes a lot of courage! A lot of people would just pout and wait for someone to help them with their problems. It's the easy way out. But Santiago, being the courageous man he is, does something about it all by himself.
He definitely represents goodness. Everything he does is something out of his heart. I really felt how courageous this man was from the words Hemingway wrote.
Although he is sometimes portrayed to be a little grumpy, I think he is definitely the hero in this novel. With all of his accomplishments and failures, and courage showed completing them, I could not think of a better hero.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
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