Santiago is an impoverished old fisherman whose good days have left him long ago. He has gone through many ordeals and his epic battle to catch a giant marlin had caught the attention of many literature enthusiasts around the world. If you want to read Santiago’s story, you should get a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea.
Santiago is childless and his wife is long dead. He was respected by the community as an accomplished fisherman and a boy named Manolin had been fishing with him since a very young age. The boy visits Santiago’s shack each night. Unfortunately, Santiago goes on for eighty-four days straight without any catch.
On the eighty-fifth day of his unlucky streak, Santiago takes his skiff into the Gulf Stream, sets his lines and by noon has his bait taken by a big fish that he is sure is a marlin.
Santiago is pulled by the marlin as he is not able to haul it; two days and nights pass with Santiago holding onto the line. He is wounded by the struggle and in pain, but does not give up. After three days, he tries to bring the marlin to the shore.
On his way sharks are attracted to the marlin’s blood and by nightfall, the sharks have almost devoured the marlin’s entire carcass, leaving a skeleton. On reaching the shore Santiago fell asleep dreaming of his youth – of lions on an African beach.
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