Old Man and the Sea

I think that the hero in the novel Old Man and the Sea would definitely be the old man. Even though he is pretty much the only person in the entire book, there could be more heroes in the story, too. It depends on how the reader looks at it. The old man is a hero because he saves himself from being stuck in the middle of the ocean with no food or fresh water. At no point in time does he lose his focus and mess something up. To me, a hero always has control of the situation, or at least handles the situation to the best of his ability. The old man just kind of rolled with the punches and reacted to what was thrown at him. He did not worry his mind with thoughts of starvation, he simply ate what was available and used his fishing skills and knowledge to get food when he needed it. He also felt sorry for the great fish once he had killed him, which is a sign of a good heart. Another hero could be the little boy. The little boy is friends with the old man, and pretty much keeps him alive. He is always at the old man's house, he brings him food, and also helps keep him company. The little boy worries about the old man, and does not want him to get hurt because of his frail old age. It is obvious to the reader that the little boy cares about the old man because when he was being dragged out into the sea, the boy went to the man's house every day in case he was back. The little boy always takes care of him because he loves the old man. He basically saves his life when he finaly gets back by feeding him, taking care of his wounds, and putting him to bed. Without the little boy, the old man would probably not be alive.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995.