The image of tough guy: a series of characters in Hemingway's works. These characters are boxers, matadors, hunters, fishermen and so on. They all have indomitable personalities. In the face of violence and death, they all showed calm willpower and courage to safeguard human dignity. Santiago's famous saying that "man can be destroyed, but not defeated" is the spiritual realm of this "tough guy" image.

Judging from Hemingway's unique and distinctive personality, most of them are "tough guys": tough and resolute, brave and upright, and can endure suffering and torture. They are not afraid of failure, and they die, which is reflected in their works such as Indian Camp, Fifty Thousand Yuan, For whom the bell tolls, The Old Man and the Sea, etc.

Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea is the representative of the image of "tough guy", the development and sublimation of the character of "tough guy" shaped by the author in his works since 1930s, and the embodiment of the spirit of "tough guy". At the same time, the excellent qualities that constitute Santiago's "tough character" are: firm confidence, tenacious will, optimistic spirit and generous love. The "tough guy image" composed of all these excellent qualities is also the embodiment of the author's own "tough guy character". It is the author's survival rule in the face of society: "A person is not born defeated. You can try your best to destroy him, but you can't beat him!" This is also the author's basic attitude towards human destiny.