hands nailed to the cross Santiago accepts the pain silently without a word of complaint His suffering is not useless it gives him dignity and strength He fights alone on the sea carrying his burden as Christ carried His cross Bearing the Cross After returning from the sea Santiago carries the mast of his boat on his shoulders just as Christ carried the cross to His crucifixion The narrator says Then he shouldered the mast and started to climb This scene is rich in Christian symbolism The mast becomes the cross of pain and faith Santiago s walk through the dark path to his shack is like Christ s walk to Calvary When he finally lies down his arms are stretched out like Christ s position on the cross Love and Forgiveness Like Christ Santiago s heart is full of love and forgiveness He loves all living beings the birds the sea and even the fish he kills He says softly Fish I love you and respect you very much This love reflects Christ s message of compassion Santiago s battle with the marlin is not an act of cruelty but a test of spirit His forgiveness and calm heart even after losing everything make him a Christlike figure of peace and humanity Triumph in Defeat Santiago s return with only the skeleton of the marlin looks like defeat but it is actually a spiritual triumph Christ was crucified and killed but His spirit triumphed through resurrection Similarly Santiago s body is destroyed but his soul remains undefeated He says A man can be destroyed but not defeated This line expresses the central Christian truth of victory through faith Santiago s strength of will like Christ s shows that true success is not material but moral His defeat becomes a symbol of redemption and spiritual glory Faith and Renewal Santiago s final peace and Manolin s devotion complete the Christ image The boy represents faith like a disciple continuing his master s mission When Santiago sleeps the boy watches him and cries Their bond mirrors Christ and His followers Santiago dreams again of the lions symbols of youth and renewal His spirit finds rest while his message of courage and faith passes to the next generation This spiritual rebirth proves that his soul like Christ s will live forever through others Now we can say that Santiago is a true Christ figure because his life reflects Christian values of love sacrifice and redemption His wounds his mast his silence and his spirit all symbolize Christ s passion Through suffering he attains spiritual victory and peace Hemingway suggests that a person s greatness lies not in wealth or strength but in courage humility and faith Santiago rises above pain and becomes a symbol of divine endurance