Santiago (The Old Man) is the main character of The Old Man and the Sea. His
occupation is a fisherman. Unlike the rest of the fishing community, Santiago
continues to fish using traditional methods. These methods, however, do not
allow Santiago to catch many fish. Thus, he is forced to live a
semi-impoverished life Who is the secondary character? A= Manolin (the young
boy) is a young man and good friend of Santiago. Santiago has spent several
years teaching and instructing Manolin in the traditional methods of fishing.
Where and when the story takes place? A= In Cuba and out in the Gulf Stream, in
the 50’. What is the climax of the story? A= During the last few moments of
the Marlin's life. Santiago battles furiously with the huge fish as it thrashes
about in the water. The danger to Santiago is immense because the size of the
marlin is much greater than the Santiago's boat. Did you like the story? Why? A=
Yes because is about the hard existence of the man fighting against his destiny,
conditioned by the social and cultural structures that mark his life. Do a
summary of the story A= The story is about Santiago a Cuban fisherman who goes
through many conflicts with nature and himself. He experiences poor luck in the
latter part of his life which leaves him poor and destitute, relying on a boy to
feed him and to be his only true friend. In spite of his skill as a fisherman,
only his diligent perseverance ended his eighty-five day drought of fish. In
this time of need, Santiago's pride prevailed over his hunger and need of
supplies. While fishing in solitude, Santiago's eighty-five day ordeal ended
with the snaring of a marlin. During the contest between himself and the fish,
Santiago had to endure many physical and emotional conflicts. Santiago's
physical conflicts include his hunger, fatigue, and the cramping of his hand.
His body required nutrition and became tired and thirsty, inflicting great pain
and demanding his attention. The obtaining of nourishment was a task which
required all his skills and physical strength while at the same time holding a
line with a marlin larger than any he had ever seen. When Santiago's hand
cramped and refused to be of any use to him, he felt betrayed by his body and
had to coax his hand with kind words, food, and time out of paralysis to the
point where it could again assist in the capture and killing of the marlin.
Santiago struggled with his emotions throughout the ordeal as well. He
continually felt unworthy of putting such a grand fish to death and understood
he was better than the fish only because he could think. Santiago felt sorry for
having to destroy such a beautiful creature, and when pulling the fish alongside
the boat, being torn apart by sharks, he felt as though the fish had
disrespectfully been treated and that is was a disgrace for it to be destroyed
by that means. Santiago struggles with many conflicts in this novel and the
climax takes place just as he is using his last efforts and tools to disperse
the sharks and protect the marlin. In his failure his struggles end and he
slumps into his boat in lamentation. His conflicts are resolved and he returns
to port with only a carcass, receiving no monetary profit, but gaining the
respect of his colleagues.