In the novel, the old man was not only a representative for one person, it indicates a kind of strength, a sort of spirit, that's the respected grittiness, the never-give-up spirit.
We may be a very small island nation in geographic borders, but through curiosity and resilience, we have always looked outwards and created an oversized global footprint.
Having to persevere the challenges of growing up as a black girl in that era, she would rise up and go on to become the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School.
These hard and rugged men were transformed into killing machines via a brutal training regime that involved a 100 miles speed marches and specialist training with all sorts of weapons, explosives and vehicles.