"I'll fight them until I die," (Hemingway 115). Santiago is a man eager to follow his calling and willing to take chances in life with his strong pride. Ernest Hemingway uses dialogue and thought to develop the theme of pride. Throughout Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway illustrates Santiago as a prideful man through his dialogues. In the battle full of hardship between the marlin and the old man, Santiago comments, "A man can be destroyed but not defeated" (103), Santiago's body has nearly reached its limit- his hand is cramped, cuts over his face and hands, sore muscles. The old man did not give up, since to him a man's body can be shattered but being defeated is more shameful. Santiago ignores all of the pain he has: "And pain does not matter to a man" (88). The great DiMaggio, who he admires, has a bone spur, but he did not admit to defeat. He played the game until the end, which inspired Santiago to continue to fight back. Santiago's pride is a reason for him to push himself to the limit until he finally catches the marlin, "I have no cramps," he said. "He'll be up soon and I can last. You have to last. Don't even speak of it." (88) Even though he caught the marlin, the sharks eat the fish and left him with nothing. Santiago's pride has portrayed as the single motivating force that spurs him to greatness. .
Hemingway uses Santiago's thoughts to demonstrate his pride. The old man risks going out farther than everybody to catch a big fish: "The old man knew he was going far out and he left the smell of the land behind and rowed out into the clean early morning smell of the ocean." (28) Santiago wants to catch a big fish to prove his existence and gain the village respect, since the young fisherman in the village usually make fun at him for not catching any fish for eighty-seven days, but the cost of his pride going far out is may have responsible for the shark attack, that why people said a prize always come with a catch.
