Hemingway has his own understanding of “hero”. His vision of heroism requires continuous labor for ephemeral ends. What the hero does is to face adversity with grace. He emphasizes self-control and the other facets of his idea of manhood. What people achieve or fail at externally is not as significant to heroism as comporting ourselves with inner nobility. As Santiago says,“Man is not made for defeat...A man can be destroyed but not defeated”(Hemingway, 1961: 103). Hemingway also has an inseparable idea from the ideal of heroism. That is manhood. To be a man is to behave with honor and grace: to not avoid suffering, to accept one’s duty without complaint, and to display a maximum of self-control. The representation of the sea is characterized by its caprice and lack of self-control: “if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them(Hemingway, 1961: 30). Santiago gets rid of his pain by telling himself,“suffering likes a man or a fish(Hemingway, 1961: 34). In Hemingway’s ethical universe, Santiago shows us not only how to live heroically, but also in a way befitting a man.
What is also important is Hemingway’s treatment of “pride”. A heroic man like Santiago should have pride in his actions, and as Santiago shows us, “humility was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride(Hemingway, 1961: 14). It is Santiago’s pride that presses him to travel dangerously far out into the sea to catch the marlin. While he loves the marlin and calls him brother, Santiago admits to killing it for pride. Some have interpreted the loss of the marlin as the price Santiago has to pay for his pride in traveling out so far in search of such a fish. On the other hand, one can argue that this pride was beneficial as it allows Santiago a challenge worthy of his heroism. In the end, Hemingway suggests that pride in a job is positive, even if pride draws one unnecessarily into the situation.
In the novel, Hemingway draws a distinction between two different types of success: outer, material success and inner, spiritual success. In order to achieve success, Hemingway makes the old man have grace. The characteristics of spirit are those of heroism and manhood. This valuable possession is a testament to the privileging of inner success over outer success. At the same time, being heroic and manly are not merely qualities of character that one possesses or does not. One must constantly demonstrate one’s heroism and manliness through actions conducted with grace and dignity. Santiago is obsessed with proving his worthiness to those around him. He proves himself to the boy: “a thousand times he had proved it meant nothing. Now he was proving it again. Each time was a new time and he never thought about the past when he was doing it(Hemingway, 1961: 66). And he proves himself to the marlin:“I‘ll kill him...in all his greatness and glory. Although it is unjust, but I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures(Hemingway, 1961: 66). A heroic and manly life requires a constant demonstration of one's worthiness through noble action and requires one to have “grace under pressure .”
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大学英语---