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Old Man and The Sea Code Hero Analysis
An in-depth analysis of the book Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Delves into his inclusion of a “code hero”.
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The Code Hero Within The Old Man and The SeaErnest Hemingway's literature often consists of protagonists who are described as code
heroes. Code heroes follow a set of ideas, rules, and thoughts to help navigate their lives. This is
meant to show the ways characters handle difficult situations and scenarios. Hemingway's
characters navigate their lives with ideals that align with the hero code. Within the novel, The
Old Man and the Sea, Santiago demonstrates numerous qualities of a code hero by remaining
stoic in difficult situations, enduring, and rejecting self-despair.
An aspect of the hero code that Santiago demonstrates often is avoiding self-pity. On the
first day of his journey, it is mentioned that Santiago hid a photograph of his deceased wife
because of the loneliness it produces. Instead of wallowing in his misfortunes, he exhibits
resilience. Previous hardships do not prevent him from his future adventures. According to critic
Leo Gurko, "like Hemingway's other protagonists, Santiago is confronted with a universe filled
with tragedy and pain, but these are transcended" (Gurko 227). Santiago faces an immense
amount of anguish. However, he keeps dignity and never succumbs to it. Furthermore, Santiago
jokes about having no food. He offers Manolin yellow fish with rice despite knowing he has
nothing. The aforementioned makes it evident that Santiago does not wallow in self-pity. He
instead laughs at inconveniences rather than feel sorrowful. Moreover, when Santiago is sore and
exhausted from his travel, he still does not proceed to feel sorry for himself. After a long and
tiring voyage, he often stops and thinks to himself. "Now you are getting confused in the
head….You must keep your head clear and know how to suffer like a man. Or a fish, he thought"
(Hemingway 92). Despite his wounds, he never stops persevering. Santiago is a character who
chooses not to be consumed by all of the torment in his life.
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