They destroyed the marlin which devastated Santiago because he was really in love with the marlin. They returned multiple days to finish the job, but Santiago held it out and fought right back. He knew his life was on the line, but that was not enough for him. While preparing to challenge the shark, Santiago motivates himself and says, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (123). At this point he was accepting the fact that he might not live. The sharks symbolized the fight for survival through destructions of nature. Santiago could not help that they kept returning because of the blood from the marlin kept oozing into the sea. After the first forty pounds was bitten off, Santiago knew he had to fight hard to defeat the sharks. Those three days turn into what it seemed like to be