The Old Man and the Sea Summary

How It All Goes Down

The story begins, as you might expect, with an old man. He is a fisherman who has not caught a
fish in 84 days. He is also not eating very much. The two factors are related. We also meet a boy
who is dear friends with the old man. The old man taught him to fish when he was young, and
the boy brings the old man food. Does our language sound elementary and clipped? Thats
because Hemingways prose is. His is just eight million times better than ours.

So that sets the stage. Wed also like to note that the old man has a name (Santiago), as does the
young boy (Manolin), but the text always refers to them as "the old man" and "the boy." So this
old man goes to sleep dreaming of the lions he used to see back in the day in Africa. He wakes
before sunrise and does what fishermen do namely, get in his boat and head out to fish.

Not too long after that, the old man hooks a really, really, ridiculously big fish. A "marlin" to be
more exact. An earth-shattering struggle of mythical proportions follows. Most of the novella
consists of this struggle, which lasts over three days. It is a battle of strength and of wills. The
old man sees the fish as his brother, not his enemy, yet never wavers in his resolution to kill the
thing. Which, ultimately, he does.

But this is no happy ending. Its just a happy mid-point followed by an extraordinarily sad
ending. The old man straps the fish to the side of the boat and heads home. On the way, he is
attacked by sharks, who slowly but surely eat away at the marlin while the old man, starving and
exhausted, tries to beat them off with a harpoon, a club, and finally nothing but a simple knife.
By the time he makes it back to shore, there is nothing left of the fish but a skeleton. The old
man goes to sleep and dreams of the same lions of his youth.












The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway

Character List

Santiago - The old man of the novellas title, Santiago is a Cuban fisherman who has had an extended
run of bad luck. Despite his expertise, he has been unable to catch a fish for eighty-four days. He is
humble, yet exhibits a justified pride in his abilities. His knowledge of the sea and its creatures, and of
his craft, is unparalleled and helps him preserve a sense of hope regardless of circumstance. Throughout
his life, Santiago has been presented with contests to test his strength and endurance. The marlin with
which he struggles for three days represents his greatest challenge. Paradoxically, although Santiago
ultimately loses the fish, the marlin is also his greatest victory.
Read an in-depth analysis of Santiago.
The marlin - Santiago hooks the marlin, which we learn at the end of the novella measures eighteen
feet, on the first afternoon of his fishing expedition. Because of the marlins great size, Santiago is
unable to pull the fish in, and the two become engaged in a kind of tug-of-war that often seems more
like an alliance than a struggle. The fishing line serves as a symbol of the fraternal connection Santiago
feels with the fish. When the captured marlin is later destroyed by sharks, Santiago feels destroyed as
well. Like Santiago, the marlin is implicitly compared to Christ.
Manolin - A boy presumably in his adolescence, Manolin is Santiagos apprentice and devoted
attendant. The old man first took him out on a boat when he was merely five years old. Due to
Santiagos recent bad luck, Manolins parents have forced the boy to go out on a different fishing boat.
Manolin, however, still cares deeply for the old man, to whom he continues to look as a mentor. His love
for Santiago is unmistakable as the two discuss baseball and as the young boy recruits help from
villagers to improve the old mans impoverished conditions.
Read an in-depth analysis of Manolin.
Joe DiMaggio - Although DiMaggio never appears in the novel, he plays a significant role nonetheless.
Santiago worships him as a model of strength and commitment, and his thoughts turn toward DiMaggio
whenever he needs to reassure himself of his own strength. Despite a painful bone spur that might have
crippled another player, DiMaggio went on to secure a triumphant career. He was a center fielder for
the New York Yankees from 1936 to 1951, and is often considered the best all-around player ever at that
position.
Perico - Perico, the reader assumes, owns the bodega in Santiagos village. He never appears in the
novel, but he serves an important role in the fishermans life by providing him with newspapers that
report the baseball scores. This act establishes him as a kind man who helps the aging Santiago.
Martin - Like Perico, Martin, a caf owner in Santiagos village, does not appear in the story. The reader
learns of him through Manolin, who often goes to Martin for Santiagos supper. As the old man says,
Martin is a man of frequent kindness who deserves to be repaid.


Santiago The novella's central character. A dedicated fisherman who taught Manolin everything
he knows about fishing, Santiago is now old and poor and has gone 84 days without a catch.
Manolin A young man from the fishing village who has fished with Santiago since the age of
five and now cares for the old man. Manolin recently began fishing with another fisherman
whom his parents consider luckier than Santiago.
Martin The owner of the Terrace (his name is Spanish for St. Martin), he sends food and drink
to Santiago through Manolin.
Rogelio A man of the village who on occasion helps Santiago with the fishing net.
Perico A man at the bodega (his name is Spanish for St. Peter, an apostle and fisherman) who
gives Santiago newspapers to read.
Marlin An eighteen-foot bluish billfish and a catch of legendary proportions.
Mako A mackerel shark (dentuso in Spanish) that is a voracious and frightening killer known for
its rows of large, sharp teeth.
Shovel-nosed sharks The scavenger sharks (galanos in Spanish) that destroy the marlin.
Pedrico A fisherman in the village who looks after Santiago's skiff and gear and receives the
marlin's head to use in fish traps.
Tourists A man and woman at the Terrace who see the marlin's skeleton and, misunderstanding
a waiter's explanation of what happened, think the skeleton is that of a shark.