life itself which is painful but meaningful The old man s spirit remains undefeated even when his body grows weak His eyes stay bright and full of courage The narrator says Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were cheerful and undefeated To him destruction means the loss of body health or possession but defeat means loss of hope and faith Santiago loses the marlin s meat but his pride and dignity survive Santiago s pain is also a kind of sacrifice His hands are cut his back bends and he carries his mast on his shoulders as described Then he shouldered the mast and started to climb Like Christ carrying His cross Santiago bears his suffering silently and turns pain into peace His strength comes from love hope and self-respect In the end Santiago s struggle becomes the story of every human being Life can break the body but not the soul Hemingway shows that man s greatness lies not in winning but in fighting bravely