But Man Is Not Made For Defeat

Imagine 84 days straight of failure.

Has that happened to you? Have you failed for over 2 months and still pressed on against the odds?

“Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”

In the novel The Old Man and the Sea, the main character, Santiago, is that person.

“Salao,” is how people describe Santiago.

Salty, or in the more figurative sense, a fisherman that is unlucky.

No one believes that Santiago could ever catch a fish again. His disciple remains as the only person that still has faith that his teacher could catch a fish once again.

Most importantly, although no one believes in Santiago, he has faith in himself that soon, he would finally achieve his goals once more.

“Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready,” he says confidently.

And as he said, he was right.

Finally, after so much failure and misfortune, Santiago hooks one of the most fearsome fish of all time, a Marlin. Santiago and the Marlin duel for days; the respect he has for his opponent is admirable. The fortitude he possesses, unwavering.

Soon after the good fight was to be won, ravenous sharks began to destroy the Marlin. Fighting off the sharks with his harpoon, it was too late.

Santiago returned to the village, again, without a fish.

In a sense, Santiago did receive the short end of the stick. Months of failure with one stroke of luck and lots of labor provided him with nothing in the end.

For most people, this would be the final defeat but Santiago states this which fits the whole theme of the novel.

“Half fish," he said. "Fish that you were. I am sorry that I went too far out. I ruined us both. But we have killed many sharks, you and I, and ruined many others. How many did you ever kill, old fish? You do not have that spear on your head for nothing.”

Santiago makes light of the fact that he conquered the sharks and respects his rival for fighting the same way.

After all the hardships Santiago endured, with his marlin ruined and his body injured and sore, was his journey out on the sea a success, or a failure?

Many would say he failed, but I would say he was successful. Like many situations in life, it is all a matter of perspective.

Santiago’s story is a valiant one. Against his unluckiness, the beliefs of all those people in the town, and his own body, he continues on, triumphing over not just the marlin and the sharks, but his own old age as well.

“Only I have no luck anymore. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day.”

As is life, we will not always achieve victory.

Like Tantalus, many times we will be stuck grasping at those things that are only a hair’s width away at any time.

But Santiago was unrelenting. Even as an old and unlucky man, he still pressed on. Even after this failure, I am certain Santiago would go out once more waiting for another stroke of luck afforded to him by the Universe.

Surely, even against all odds, we too must press on as Santiago pressed on.

“But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”