old man and the Sea
The Old Man and The Sea This short novel, as the title suggests, is mainly set on the sea over a period of three days. ... Geographically, Cuba is an island in the Caribbean, whose main industry is fishing; Hemingway himself had lived in Cuba for a few years before the Fidel Castro revolution, obtaining an intimate knowledge of the places that are described in The Old Man and the Sea. ... During the course of the novel, the setting becomes symbolic; the sea represents the total universe against which humanity (represented by Santiago) is pitted and in which, everybody has to take a chance. CONFLICT Protagonist Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman, is the protagonist. ... Antagonist The antagonist is the sea, a symbol of life, which robs Santiago of his final victory. The real antagonist in the sea is the group of sharks that devour the giant fish. Since the waters also provide the old fisherman with his livelihood, he sees the sea more as a challenge than an adversary. The sea also enables Santiago to show supreme endurance. CHARACTERS Major Characters Santiago - an old Cuban who is the protagonist of the book. ... He also cares for the old man, emotionally and physically. ... The Sharks - the evil elements of the sea. ... Plot The novel opens with an explanation of how Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman, has not caught a single fish in eighty-four days. For the initial forty-four days, a boy named Manolin had kept company with the old man. ... The boy is saddened at the prospect of deserting old Santiago, whom he admires as a father. The old man also sorely misses the company of the young boy, who ran small errands for him, often brought him food, and was like a son. ... Now Santiago is quite confident that he will succeed again because he knows a few "tricks" about the sea and is still strong enough to land a really big fish. ... Some of the other fisherman make fun of old Santiago and his bad luck; other fisherman, who know Santiago’s real worth and talent, regard his situation with sadness. The old man lets neither the teasing nor the pity affects him in any measure. On the morning of the eighty-fifth day, Santiago plans to set out early and go far out into the sea. Before he departs, Manolin comes to wish the old man good luck and bring him coffee. ... His bravery is not the foolhardiness of an unthinking and blind hero; nor is it the last resort of a desperate man whose patience has run thin, after waiting eighty-four days to catch a fish.