Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago. At the start of the novel, Santiago has gone eighty-four days without making a catch. The other fishermen of his village have begun to label the old man as salao, or "unlucky" (Hemingway 9). A young boy named Manolin is the only person who still has faith in Santiago's abilities. Although Manolin has helped Santiago before, his parents will no longer allow him to go out fishing with the old man. Therefore, Santiago embarks on a fishing expedition alone. In the course of this expedition, which ends up lasting three days, Santiago manages to catch the biggest marlin ever seen in the area (Machlin 136). Although the struggle for the marlin saps most of the old man's strength, his test of endurance does not end there. As he tows the huge fish home, it is attacked by shovel-nosed sharks. Santiago desperately tries to fight the sharks off, but they "eventually claim his catch" (Machlin 136). Thus, Santiago's victorious capture of the huge marlin is undermined by the defeat of it being devoured by sharks. Despite Santiago's suffering and defeat, the tone at the end of The Old Man and the Sea is one of poignant triumph. Although the old man's health is ruined by his ordeal, he is shown as being a heroic figure of sorts. In particular, Santiago is the type of hero who accepts his place and nature and who gains wisdom as a result of his sufferings. The various characters of the novel, including Santiago, Manolin, and the marlin, all serve as tools in the development of these basic themes.
The Old Man and the Sea was one of Hemingway's most popular novels. Published in 1952, it revitalized his success as a writer. At that time, it had been quite a while since Hemingway's earlier successes with novels such as The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940). Soon after the book version o...