Santiago continues to remind himself to stay focused on the task at hand.Īt noon that day, a fish takes the bait on one of his lines. They often flit to his past, when he worked on a turtle boat and saw lions on a beach in Africa, and then return to his present moment. Throughout the novel, the reader is told the story through Santiago’s thoughts. As he moves through the water, he takes note of the wildlife around him, showing a clear appreciation for the natural world and all the creatures in it. Santiago sails so far as to enter into the Gulf Stream. He determined the night before that he was going to sail farther than usual. Together they prepare Santiago’s skiff and he sails out into the waters. The next day, the old man wakes “as old men do” and walks to Manolin’s hut to wake him. They discuss upcoming games and their favorite player, Joe DiMaggio. The boy’s kindness shines through as he berates himself for not thinking of other ways he could better Santiago’s life. The old man is desperately poor and is more than often unable to feed himself without Manolin’s help. He cares for him when he gets back from fishing, helps him carry in gear, and finds food for the two to eat together. The boat he’s moved to is much more prosperous, but the new fisherman does not inspire Manolin’s allegiance as Santiago has. They want their son to fish and learn from someone who is not struggling as the old man is at this time. Unfortunately, by his parent’s orders, Manolin is no longer allowed to accompany Santiago out onto the water. His attitude is bolstered by the boy with whom he used to fish, Manolin. Although downtrodden, the old man maintains hope his luck is going to change. The Old Man and the Sea starts with the main character, Santiago, returning from a fishing trip, 84 days long, without catching a fish. Spoiler alert – important details of the novel are revealed below. Through miles of water and hours and days of struggle, Santiago suffers for what he hopes will be a success, all the while being reminded of what it means to be human. When a fish takes his line, and Santiago realizes how large it is, his struggle begins. Santiago, the man to whom the title refers, heads out the next day in an attempt to change his luck.īefore sunrise the next day Santiago is on the water again, his eyes focused on a new, distant fishing spot. Manolin cares deeply for Santiago and does what he can to improve his life.

He spends time with a young boy he used to fish with, Manolin, and the two speak about baseball. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway tells the story of an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his quest to break his eighty-four-day streak of unsuccessful fishing.

It is a short, moving novel that tells the story of an old, Cuban fisherman’s three-day struggle in the Gulf of Mexico as he tries to catch a large marlin.

The old man and the seapdf