The tragic fate of the old fisherman is an artistic reflection of Hemingway's own experience. Hemingway participated in two world wars and the Spanish War. People haven't woken up from the nightmare of the world war, and all kinds of puzzles such as disillusionment and loss are bothering people. Post-war society is a chaotic and desolate scene, and the absurd phenomenon of war and society has brought deep trauma to Hemingway's spirit and body, which can be described as a narrow escape. This is also one of the performances of the old fisherman Santiago. In addition, we found that Hemingway did not publish any important works in the ten years after 1940 "For whom the bell tolls", while 1950 published "Crossing the River into the Forest" which was unanimously criticized by the media. "Many critics even assert that Hemingway's intelligence has dried up and there is nothing new." This situation is very similar to that of the old man in San Diego at first. The old man was unlucky and couldn't catch fish for 84 days in a row. When he sat in the seaside hotel, the fishermen around him laughed at him or sympathized with him.

The situation of the old man is deteriorating step by step in order to show Hemingway's "grace" under "heavy pressure". Under such heavy pressure, the failure of the old man is particularly tragic. At first, he went to sea every day, but he didn't catch a fish for 40 days in a row. This failure is bad enough. Later, the death of the child Mallory made the treatment of the elderly look bleak, and the last experience was even more painful. However, in this situation of "from failure to failure", Santiago perfectly embodies Hemingway's tough character: when his big fish was eaten by a shark with only a skeleton left, he asked himself, "But what defeated you?" "Nothing ... I went too far." The old man bravely admitted his failure, but he absolutely believed in his own strength. I believe that he is brave even if he fails. I believe that he was not defeated by the shark in spirit, because it was the shark that was destroyed, not himself. It is based on the brave and indomitable spirit of dealing with failure that Santiago realized: "Once defeated, things will be easy." So "now just steer the boat as nimbly as possible to your own port." When the battle is over and the glory is gone, Santiago has completed the rest of his works so peacefully and calmly, which perfectly embodies the "elegant demeanor under pressure". If life is an arena, nature is the background of life. At this moment, Santiago has completely surpassed this nature and surpassed the hardships, glory and success or failure in his life.

World War I shaped Hemingway's fundamental view of human society and seriously influenced his creative tone. In Hemingway's eyes, the world is full of violence and hypocrisy; Death inevitably awaits the first person. This is another symbol of the tragic fate of Santiago, Hemingway's hero. To survive in this society, we must establish a set of survival rules for ourselves, that is: "in life, you can't win, you must never give up." You can try to live in silence; Give up emotional entanglements and don't look at yourself; Seeking fun in outdoor sports and taking' tough guy character' as the pillar of life "is this set of survival rules, which makes Hemingway successfully shape a typical tough guy image. Even when he was driving a fishing boat, "there was a perforated sail with some flour bags on it, such as a flag that marked failure." God doomed the old man to fail, but he still showed an attitude of facing failure calmly. Sixteen years later, Hemingway realized the true meaning of the story of the old fisherman. He turned the true story of Cuban fishermen into a fable permeated with philosophy of life. Hemingway no longer simply tells this story, but rubs it into his own life experience, emotions and thoughts.

It can be seen that the symbol of San Diego shows the ambiguity of meaning. Although there is some hazy atmosphere in it, we still have to admit that San Diego is the best embodiment of Hemingway's tough spirit.

The old fisherman Santiago didn't catch a fish at sea for 84 days in a row. At first, a boy named Manorine went to sea with him, but after 40 days without catching any fish, the child was arranged by his parents to another boat because they thought it would be unlucky for the child to follow the old man. On the 85th day, the old man rowed the boat away early in the morning. Unexpectedly, he caught a marlin bigger than a boat. The old man struggled with the fish for two days and finally got it. However, the injured fish left a foul smell on the sea surface, which attracted countless sharks to compete for it. The old man struggled with the shark, but when he returned to the port, the marlin had only a huge skeleton left, and the old man fell to the land exhausted. The child came to see the old man. He doesn't think Santiago has been defeated. That afternoon, San Diego fell asleep in his cabin. He saw a lion in his dream. "A person is not born to be defeated. You can destroy him as much as you can, but you can't beat him. " This is Santiago's life belief and the idea that the author wants to express in The Old Man and the Sea. Through the image of Santiago, the author enthusiastically praised the indestructible spiritual strength of human beings in the face of difficulties and hardships. The child is ready to go out to sea with the old man again. He must learn all the "skills" of the old man, which symbolizes that the "invincible" spirit of mankind will be passed down from generation to generation. Santiago is the symbol of the perfect man that Hemingway admired: strong, generous, kind and full of love. Even if he fails in the arena of life, he is still a spiritual strong man and a "tough guy" in the face of irreversible fate. "Tough guy" is a common theme in Hemingway's works and a common figure in his works. They are still strong and unyielding in the face of great external pressure and bad luck, and even die. Although they failed, they maintained human dignity and courage and had the demeanor of winners.