Old Man and the Sea 10

There are only a few characters in The Old Man and the Sea. The main ones include Santiago, Manolin, and the fish. Manolin is not really around throughout the majority of the story, but even when he was not around Santiago still talked about him. He seems pretty insignificant and unimportant to the story, but he really plays a powerful role. Manolin is really the only person Santiago appears to come in contact with in his old age. Santiago is shunned by all of the other fishermen and even by Manolin’s parents. He appears to have no other friends or family left. This is most likely the root of his habitual conversation with himself. He comments to himself many times that he wishes Manolin was with him. He is clearly a lonely man. It is certain that the young boy’s parents have recently demanded he does not fish with Santiago. He is considered “Salao” by everyone in the area. He is the worst type of unlucky. In the last forty days Santiago has been a lone man on the sea with no one to talk to but himself. Manolin is probably the only thing left keeping the old man sane. Santiago’s constant wishes for his friend are probably all directed toward having a person to talk to. Besides keeping Santiago sane, Manolin’s other role in the story is motivating Santiago to survive. Santiago obviously has a lot of pride. If it was not for Manolin, Santiago probably would have kept fishing after the sharks ate his marlin. He would have just turned his boat around and went for another fish because he had nothing to lose. Manolin is the only person that Santiago has to live for besides himself. He would not let a fish beat him, but he might let starvation win. But the young boy was enough of a motive for him to return empty handed once again. Manolin really had an important role that shaped the entire story.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.