hat follows when Santiago carries the mast up the hill on his back, with his hands all cut up, obviously parallels Christ. Santiago is an old man, and Hemingway was getting old when he wrote The Old Man and the Sea. Santiago goes out farther than anyone else and catches the greatest marlin ever; this situation also parallels not Christ but Hemingway, who was probably questioning whether or not he could still write a great novel. Schorer seems to think he succeeded (132-134).
Leo Gurko has many of the same ideas as Schorer, but he discusses the idea of a hero in much greater detail. Gurko's first point was also made by Schorer: Santiago is a Christ figure. Gurko takes it one step further and says that Santiago is actually a superman. Santiago's has the combination of strength, experience, and indomitable will to get the marlin. "Fish," he said softly, aloud, "I'll stay with you until I am dead" (Hemingway, 58). Most of Hemingway's novels revolve around a struggle which shows the limitations of humans and the evil within all of us. Santiago struggles, but in the end he succeeds, showing that anything can be done if you try hard enough. Santiago is religious and says he will thank God if he catches the marlin, but he is not looking for assistance from God or superstition.
Gurko also discusses the strong sense of brotherhood Santiago has for the great marlin, even though he catches and kills the fish. This bond is clear when, once he has caught the marlin, the mako
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