Ernest Hemingway is one of the greatest writers in American lit-erature. His masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea, shows us an idea that man could be destroyed, but not defeated. Santiago, the tragic hero in the novel, is a typical Hemingway hero with strong determination and willpower. His fighting against the treacherous nature, although defeated, shows people the great force of human spiritual power. Santiago serves as a typical Heming-way hero in American literature.