The Role of Hope in the Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea

The author’s message is that a person who never gives up hope and always tries can never truly be defeated. The author’s message can be true in both the real world and in Santiago’s case. Catching the marlin and bringing it home symbolizes a goal that is to be achieved. Santiago has made mistakes, such as going too far out to sea, and the sharks represent situations that result because of these mistakes. These mistakes eventually cost Santiago his hard earned goal, the marlin. Santiago then feels that he has not been defeated, his mistakes just cost him his goal. The main theme of the book is that someone who tries his hardest, and fails, but revises the way he went about achieving his goal, is never truly defeated. Santiago is down on his luck in fishing. Santiago catches a marlin and uses much effort and his skills to catch it. Sharks eat the marlin, but Santiago decides that he was not defeated because he made the mistake of going too far from shore.