Santiago was an old Cuban fisherman who hasn’t had the best fishing

season of his career. He has a young apprentice and friend Manolin

who takes care of him. But after 84 days of going to sea and
returning with empty nets, Santiago decided to tell the boy’s parents
to force Manolin to find a more prosperous fishing boat and leave
him behind, but the boy continues being his apprentice and taking
care of him. Santiago was ashamed of his lack of catches for the past
months but once he remembers the trials of his hero, Joe DiMaggio,
he regains the confidence to sail farther than what he is used to the
following day.

The day arrives and Santiago prepares and sets off to go beyond the
shallow waters of his home and to the Gulf Stream. When arriving to
the area, he prepares the lines and drops them to the deep waters.
Noon time came, a marlin which Santiago knew, caught the bait, the
fisherman tries to pull in the fish but instead, the fish pulls the little
skiff. Unable to tie the line to the boat fast enough, the old man
endures the strain of the line with all his body always prepared to
take the slack when the marlin makes a getaway. The big fish pulled
the little boat and the old man through lone dark nights and bright
scorching days going northwest. Santiago enduring the constant pain
and injuries from the fishing line until it finally tired out and swims
east following the current. After the pain and struggles, the old man
felt a deep empathy and admiration to the marlin for its shared
suffering, strength, and resolve.
On the third day the fish tires out and the old man pulled the marlin
close enough to kill it with a harpoon. Santiago pulled in the Fish
besides the skiff, it was the largest marlin the old man ever saw in his
career. After the ordeal the old fisherman raises the small mast and
sails home. Santiago was excited for the price that the marlin will
bring to the market but concerned on who will eat the fish possibly
unworthy of its greatness. As the skiff was returning home, the
marlin’s blood leaves a trail in the water and alerts sharks and lure
them to the small skiff. The old man fought valiantly to defend his
catch but after countless attacks the scavengers finally devoured the
fish, leaving only its skeleton, head, and tail. The fisherman chastised
himself for going farther into the sea and sacrificing his worthy
opponent. Santiago arrives home and stumbles back into his shack
and goes into a deep sleep.

Dawn breaks and the old man was surprised to see a crowd
surrounding the skeletal remains of the marlin still attached to his
skiff. Tourists a nearby café observes the remains and thought it was
a shark. Manolin, who was worried over the old man’s absence, was
relieved that the old man was in his bed. The apprentice brought
coffee, daily papers with the baseball scores, and watched him sleep.
When the old man woke up, the two agreed to fish as partners once
more. The old man sleeps once again and dreams his usual, lions at
play on the beaches of Africa.
The Moral is about finding a light in a dark void, your efforts won’t be
wasted, there’s always someone who appreciates it, and family and
friends are there when you are feeling down. If you feel down in the
dumps, always strive to do better than before and be confident on
your abilities.