Wei 1
Patrick Wei
Mr.Cimetta
ENG3UE
23 November 2016
Common People, Real Hero
While humanity is overwhelmed by Heracles’ extraordinary physical strength and splendid adventures, the majority of us are just ordinary ones with common ability. It is human’s nature to stay in comfort zone, and make a concession when facing with difficulties. In the beginning of the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the main character Walter Mitty is just an ordinary manager who looks forward to adventure but never makes his action. However, some events motivate individuals to take risks and overcome those challenge with courage and carry out heroic activities. Walter Mitty’s admiration towards Cheryl Melhoff encourage him to step on his adventure’s journey. However(NEED CHANGE DUE TO THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE), in the novel The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is a born hero and created to demonstrate the ideal spirit of an unyielding man. He catches the great fish and defeats numbers of sharks, resembling Heracles from ancient Greek epic who defeat monsters by oneself. When being confronted with difficulties/challenges, both Santiago, an ideal embodiment of an unyielding hero, and Walter Mitty, an ordinary manager; demonstrate the spirit of adventure and ability to overcame their difficulties with courage, despite their personality differences.
Earnest Hemingway is a famous writer in the 20th century. His direct writing styles; and unyielding heroic figures in his work distinguish him from other writers. Santiago in the novel The Old Man and the Sea is a perfect example of a unyielding hero. In the beginning of the story, Santiago is facing a hardship that he has not caught a single fish in eighty-four days, and he lives on the support from a boy who usually fish with him. Other fishermen view Santiago discriminatorily and call him “salao” (Hemingway 1) which is a word that means bad luck. Under such circumstances Santiago does not show any sense of frustration or discouraged. When the boy told Santiago he has to leave because his father has no faith in Santiago, Santiago just simply replies “But we have. Haven’t we” (Hemingway 1) and when the boy asks Santiago if he is still able to catch a big fish Santiago answered confidently, “I think so. And there are many tricks” (Hemingway 3). Santiago’s confidence demonstrates the extreme strength of a man’s spirit which distinct him from others and proves his uniqueness. An unyielding man must have confidence and faith in himself under any circumstances, and Santiago proves that through his action. Another factor that reveals Santiago’s unyielding character trait is when he is fighting against the great marlin fish upon the sea. He fights the marlin fish bravely with a cramped hand and an exhausted body. However, he soon realizes that he could not beat a giant fish with one hand, so he opened his cramped hand with force “I have no cramps” (Hemingway 24), which causes unbearable pain. Nevertheless, Santiago just said “pain...
