Santiago’s Character

1. Describe Santiago’s character in regard to the adversity he faces. What political or historical person could you compare him to? Explain.

Santiago faces many adversities in the novel but the main one that makes up the plot is Santiago being shunned as a fisherman in his village by all of the people because he can not catch one fish. A political person that compares to Santiago is Elizabeth Anne Seton. She fought for women’s right to vote and did not care what people called her and what men thought of her.

2. Draw three parallels between Santiago and the marlin. Choose one quality both share and discuss in detail the impact of this quality on the fate of both the man and the fish.

Three parallels between Santiago and the marlin are they are both decisive about what they want. Santiago refuses to stop fishing even though the people of the village are very discouraging, and the marlin will not stop fighting Santiago when he is trying to capture him. Another parallel is that Santiago and the marlin are both old and weak. The last is that there is a lack of faith. Santiago has not caught a fish a very long time and people think the marlin is a legend and it could never exist.

3. Explain why Hemingway would make the game of baseball and baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio, such important components of a novel about fishing.

Hemingway makes the game of baseball and the baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio such important components of the novel because DiMaggio had the attitude of a hero. Also, it was set that when DiMaggio lost his streak in baseball that Santiago set of to go fish and find the marlin.

4. What is the role of Manolin? Why would Hemingway choose to portray this character as a child rather than an adult?

The role of Manolin is one of a caretaker. He is always there for Santiago even though Santiago never asks for help. Hemingway chooses to show Manolin as a child to show how immature the people in the village are, and also to show that children of all ages can be just as respectful and responsible as adults.

5. List three conflicts presented in the novel. Which one do you think is the most significant? Why?

Three conflicts that are present in the novel are Santiago verses society, Santiago verses the fish and Santiago verses himself. The most important conflict though is Santiago verses society because with their lack of faith in him to fish, Santiago sets out for an adventure that tests his strength and confidence.

6. Ernest Hemingway is known for his creation of the “Hemingway hero” or the “code hero” who shares common traits in several of his stories. Describe the qualities of the hero (Santiago) specifically. Give five examples from the book that exemplify the Hemingway hero.

A “code hero” is one that never speaks what he wants to believe in. Also a “code hero” is a person of action. Santiago is a “code hero” in the fact that he does not listen to the people in the village that attempted to dampen his attitude