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Christ instructed his listeners not to fight back, even if they were attacked. He commanded, "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39). In contrast, Santiago regards violent struggle as inevitable in man's battle against natural forces. "Christ, I did not know he was so big," says Santiago. "I"ll kill him though.in all his greatness and his glory" (page 66).
Both Santiago and Jesus are different from other men. Like Christ, Santiago is alone, impoverished, and faces his own mortality. However, while Christ is heir to the Kingdom of Heaven, Santiago respects nature and sees himself as part of the forces of the earth and sea. Jesus relies on His Heavenly Father for salvation; Santiago relies on his own skill and dedication to his craft to participate in nature's eternal pattern. Just as Jesus differentiates Himself and His followers from the moneychangers in the temple, Santiago fishes differently than the other fishermen, whom he regards as pragmatic, practical materialists who "used buoys as floats for their lines and had motorboats, bought when the shark livers had brought much money" (pages 29-30). .
Santiago knows how to keep alive in himself and others the hope, dreams, faith, absorption and resolution essential to withstand suffering, transcend it, and ultimately transform one's self.
Transformation is central theme in both Christ's and Santiago's teachings. Like Christ, Santiago is a poor man who never had children, but has endured many ordeals. Both are men of action, on an often-solitary quest; both deal with adversity, and live by their own beliefs. Like Christ, Santiago is dedicated to his principles and to a passion that's much more important than concerns for material gain or survival. But, while Christ is a Messianic figure, who draws inspiration from His Father in Heaven and the Kingdom of God, Santiago is passionate about his profession.