The only real friend that the old man has throughout the entire story is a boy named Manolin. He is referred to as "the boy," just as Santiago is referred to as "old man." Because of Hemingway's short declarative writing style, the text comes right out and says that the old man taught the boy to fish, and he loves the boy. Wow Hemingway, way to leave us wondering about the two. You wouldn't want to leave us with something to think about for ourselves would you? The boy really is the only person throughout the entire story who really respects the old man. He didn't care how old the man was, he knew for sure that he was a great fisherman. He always had confidence in the old man. When the old man was on his fishing expedition, he repeatedly wished that the boy was with him. Obviously, the old man wanted help bringing in the huge fish he was trying to catch, but I think that it was more than that. I believe that the old man really wanted a friend to be there with him. Deep down, the old man was sentimental, and a friend would be comforting for him. On the other hand, the old man might have been thinking about all of the people that wouldn't believe that he had caught such a huge fish. He may have just wanted a witness to back him up when people didn't believe him. But I believe that the old man missed the boy and wanted him to enjoy how happy he was with him.
Overall, this book was a good book for a summer reading list. It was a typical school novel. There were many prominent themes throughout the book, and it had a simple, but good story. Hemingway was able to develop the old man's character very vividly using his short sentences. I do not regret reading this book at all, and I will be looking forward to our discussions of the book.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.
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