In a last ditch effort the nameless man, as if by instinct, pushes the woman out of the way of a car as he embraces his final moments, and dies a hero. His heroic tragedy reflects Mahatma Gandhi's opinion that partaking in "the service of others" results in "the best way" to create an identity and allows the individual to gain insight on themselves. While analysis of the way people assist each other can lead to self discovery, identity's complexity does not derive only from beneficiary actions, as other factors such as conflict and motivation shape identity to the same or an even greater degree. Identity does not solely derive from assisting others; rather, it comes from introspective thinking and metacognition as seen in The Old Man and The Sea by Earnest …show more content…
Santiago eventually returns home to be reunited with a young boy who treasured him. Santiago's character and personality develops from his time combating the marlin and the voyage home. His determination and mettle show themselves through his battle, and his hopelessness and fatigue shine through after his victory abruptly collapses. Unlike Gandhi's assertion, Santiago's identity came primarily from solitary action against a single enemy. However, Santiago's relationship with the boy and his care for him reveals their deep connection, and also develops his compassionate side. The identity created, however, mainly resulted from conflict rather than empathetic emotions. The sheer complexity of personality demands that all external forces, including compassion and conflict, mold the individual. Empathy and compassion do create personality, but the entirety of personality does not originate from one good action. True personality only comes from motivation and ultimate actions with large consequences . The shallow foppery of charity as means of a moral gauge demonstrates the point succinctly. Many people who donate to charity do so not from the kindness of their hearts, but as an obligation to "be