In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the protagonist, fulfills the definition of the Hemingway code hero since he possesses honor, courage, and endurance in an existence of misfortune, stress, pain, defeat, and even death.

Critics agree that Santiago is the most developed of Hemingway's heroes since he is heroic from the beginning of the narrative. Despite his failure to catch even a single fish in eighty-four days, the old man is an honorable fisherman who still goes out each day. He does not complain; instead, he reminds himself of his hero, Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees, who suffered from excruciatingly painful bone spurs as he played baseball. 

Santiago also endures:

His hope and confidence had never gone. But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises....He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride. 

While he is out on the ocean's water in his modest boat, Santiago thinks of the sea as la mar, using the feminine form as the Spanish who love the sea call it. He also respects the turtles and the hawkbills, who display "their elegance and speed."

As he ventures far out to sea in his boat on the eighty-fifth day, Santiago remains hopeful of catching a big fish. He still has faith in his expertise as a fisherman as he baits his hooks and makes certain that no part will not smell of sardines and be "sweet and good tasting" to a large fish. Moreover, Santiago has tremendous courage as he fights to bring in the huge fish he finally hooks. He struggles for hours, holding the line just with his old hands, one of which is bleeding from the quick pull on the line as the great fish tried to escape. During the long effort of pulling in the fish, Santiago talks to himself to bolster his spirit as he endures pain:

My hand is only cut a little and the cramp is gone from the other. My legs are all right. Also now I have gained on him in the question of sustenance.

Santiago perseveres. After hours of heroic effort, Santiago tells the fish, "I'll stay with you until I am dead." Finally, he hauls the fish in and ties it to his boat. Then, he finds that he has a new challenge as other sharks come and feed on the fish after it is bitten into by a Mako shark. Unfortunately, by the time Santiago nears land, the sharks have consumed all the meat on the large fish. "He knew he was beaten now finally."

Nevertheless, the old fisherman has the skeleton as proof that he did not go another day without a catch. Thus, his actions have been honorable, and he again proves his manhood:

And what beat you, he thought. 
"Nothing," he said aloud. "I went out too far."

Santiago has bravely gone to sea for days, and he has bravely faced death. In the end, as Santiago dreams of the lions, it is evident that he is not defeated in mind, even though he knows he has greatly injured his old body, having tasted copper in his throat as he spat during his long struggles.

The protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, is an old fisherman named Santiago. At first there does not seem to be much about him which one might consider heroic; throughout the course of the novel, however, Santiago demonstrates many heroic qualities.

First, he is a man who takes pride in what he does. He is not a boastful man, full of excessive pride; in fact, he is quit humble. For Example, when Manolin says Santiago is the best fisherman, the old man humbly disagrees with the boy. Santiago does demonstrate pride in his fishing. He refers to the sea and the fish in loving terms *using the feminine name for the sea), unlike the other, younger fishermen who see the sea and the fish as nothing but profit. When he is unable to bring the marlin home intact, he is not depressed; on the contrary, he is content with the personal pride of accomplishment, knowing he is still good enough and strong enough to catch a great fish.

Most importantly, though, it is Santiago's perseverance which makes him a hero. He is old, he no longer has the boy (or any other apprentice) to help him fish, and he has gone out fishing for the last eighty-four days without catching a fish. He goes on the eighty-fifth day and spends three days bringing in a giant marlin despite every adversity. “I may not be as strong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have resolution.” He is resolved and he accomplishes his task; we somehow know that even if he had gone another eighty-four days without catching a fish, Santiago would still have gotten in his boat every day and tried.

While Santiago is a poor old man in the eyes of the world, he is a heroic figure because of the pride he takes in his profession and his perseverance. 

Is Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea a hero?

Defining a character as a hero depends upon an individual reader's definition of what a hero is. One could apply Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero to Santiago (of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea). Another may define Santiago as a hero based upon how the community reacts to the skeleton of the marlin. Still others may not define Santiago as a hero at all.

If applying Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero, one may define Santiago as a hero based upon his hamartia (tragic flaw) of hubris (extreme pride). His pride forces him to travel farther than any of the other fishermen in his village. Although Santiago succeeds at landing a prize-worthy marlin (one which measures 18 feet), he fails at bringing the marlin back to the docks. Instead, he returns with a skeleton and badly damaged hands (the necessity of a fisherman). His pride has forced him to this point.

A hero tends to be based upon the characteristics a society desires. This idea is seen in the Anglo-Saxon's epic hero. If one were to apply this concept to Santiago, it could be supported that he is a hero. Santiago is praised for his catch, and other fisherman gather around this enormous "fish." The fishing society would exalt Santiago as a hero.

Other readers may not believe that Santiago is a hero at all. A "true" hero would have fought off the sharks and brought the marlin in to the pier. By failing to bring in the giant marlin, Santiago has failed.

Essentially, defining him as a hero is left to the individual reader. Each reader will examine the text and find support regarding Santiago's heroic status (or lack of). It simply depends upon how one interprets Santiago and his marlin.

Is Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea a hero?

Indubitably, Santiago is the quintessential Hemingway code hero. The author himself has defined this hero:

a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful.

The distinction of Santiago from other Hemingway code heroes is that he has already attained his status of hero from the beginning of the narrative. So, rather than becoming a hero, Santiago becomes the paradigm by which others can be measured. 

• Grace under pressure

Santiago exhibits "grace under pressure" from the beginning, exhibiting honor, courage and endurance. He is an honorable fisherman, although he has not caught a fish in eighty-four days. He does not complain; instead, he talks to the boy about his hero, Joe DiMaggio, who endures terrible pain as he plays baseball with heel spurs. He still has "faith" and does not complain about his poverty. When the boy offers to get him four fresh fish, Santiago asks only for one.

His hope and conficenccce had never gone. But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises....He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.

Of course, while he is in his boat for days catching the great fish and struggling against his exhaustion, age, the elements and the sharks, Santiago always thinks about what he is doing, and he exhibits tremendous courage and endurance as he argues against his pain. For instance, when his body begins to feel the strain of trying to capture the marlin, he thinks,

My hand is only cut a little and the cramp is gone from the other. My legs are all right. Also now I have gained on him in the question of sustenance.

He honorably respects the fish; he knows he has gone out too far, past the boundaries that fish have set for man: "The fish is my friend, too." In awe of the dignity of the fish, Santiago remembers how a female fish that he once caught had a mate that followed it for a long time, finally jumping into the air where it could see the dead female in the boat. Then, it went deep into the water and was gone.

• An individual who is free-willed 

Santiago lives his llfe as a fisherman; even though he has failed on eighty-four days, he does not talk of his failure, he does not quit. He constantly repeats his process of going out in his boat each new day as he attempts to prove himself until the untimate defeat.

On the day that he does catch a fish, Santiago faces the challenges before him freely and bravely by himself because he knows that in order to regain his pride, he must act alone. So, he fights the great fish in what may be a losing battle. And, despite losing all its meat to the sharks, Santiago returns with proof of his catch and attains fulfillment as he underscores again his manhood. This is why he dreams that night of the lions.

• The true measure is how death is faced

Although Santiago loses the battle, he certainly has proven himself as a fisherman and a man of courage and strength to have gone out so far and caught such a big fish with only his hands. Bravely, he has done all this, and bravely he has faced death. In the end, as Santiago dreams of the lions, it is evident that he is not defeated in mind, even though he has greatly injured his old body as something in his chest "was broken."