In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway
puts Santiago in a position of adversity from beginning to end. He is old, he is not as
strong as he once was, he is unlucky, and he is alone. All of these are counterbalanced
by Santiago's ability to persevere despite all obstacles. The three people you mention
all demonstrate that perseverance--the one quality which Santiago
has.
DiMaggio was a great baseball player, one whom
Santiago admired for several reasons. One of them was that he played successfully
despite the adversity of a bone spur. Santiago drew strength from the fact that if
DiMaggio could do it, he could do it.
The incident with the
Negro is a reminder to Santiago that he has persevered in the past and he can do so
again. He once conquered his adversary and his own weakness to win a match of
strength--a necessary reminder as he battle his brother, the
fish.
Manolin is a bit different, in that Santiago had to
learn patience in order to teach the young boy how to be an expert fisherman. That same
patience is needed as he brings in this fish by
himself.
Santiago draws on these things in order to remind
himself he can persevere despite all the obvious obstacles.
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