“Marlin off the Morrow: A Cuban Letter,” was published in the first issue of Esquire magazine in 1933 and written by Ernest Hemingway. The essay details the escapades of a Cuban fisherman dragged out to sea by a marlin. By the time he was found, sharks had destroyed the man's large catch.1 This essay forms the basis of the story of the main character, Santiago, in Hemingway's short story, The Old Man and the Sea. 1 Published almost twenty years later, in 1952, The Old Man and the Sea is considered a classic American novel. The story is deceptively simple and features a down-on-his-luck old fisherman, Santiago, who hasn't caught a fish in months. However, many aspects of the story tell a much deeper message that transcends the years. Santiago embodies universal truths about human character traits, including perseverance and commitment, faith and humility developed in adversity. Man is not made for defeat, he is made to persevere. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (Hemingway 80) Santiago, a scarred old fisherman, lives in a cabin and fishes in a battered and torn boat with a sail that was "patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat." (Hemingway 3) His terrible circumstances and misfortune have made him an object of mockery in the eyes of the young fishermen and a man to be pitied by the old fishermen, but Santiago knows that with skill, perseverance and commitment, he will prevail. “The lines went straight down...He kept them straighter than anyone else, so that at every level, in the darkness of the stream, there was bait waiting exactly where he wanted it for any fish that swam there ." (Hemingway 21-22) Santiago was a skilled fisherman. While Santiago fights to attract ...... middle of paper ...... simply, "'They beat me, Manolin,' he said. “They really beat me.” (Hemingway 96) Santiago was touched by his experience against the sea. Santiago embodies admirable character traits in man, including perseverance and commitment. His faith clearly follows and reflects that of author Ernest Hemingway. His pride was challenged and transformed into humility. This simple story of an unlucky fisherman remains a classic today because it gives us a clearer picture of Hemingway's view of man and our struggle against nature and our own flaws. Adversity and failure are nothing but waste to those who refuse to learn from hard battles if goals are achieved or snatched away by defeat. http://nedstuckeyfrench.com/essays-in-america/marlin-off-the-morro-a-cuban-letter-by-ernest-hemingway-1933/2. http://www.timelesshemingway.com/content/beliefsfaq