The Old Man And The Sea is set in the mid-twentieth century in Cuba and the Gulf Stream. The gulf stream being where the old man was beaten and Cuba his home. The characters in this novel are Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman; Manolin, a young boy and Santiago's closest friend; Martin the owner of the terrace which gives food for the old man; Pedrico, he receives the head of the marlin to use in fish traps; Rogelio, a young boy who once helped Santiago with his fish nets; the marlin, an eighteen foot catch and the largest fish ever caught in the Gulf; Los Golanos, scavenger sharks whom destroy the marlin; and the Mako, a sleek killer of the sea which is known for the eight rows of raking teeth. In this novel, Hemmingway, with his descriptive details, make the characters sound so realistic; he makes them come "alive."

The Old Man And The Sea is a magnificent book for all kinds of readers. Like most great stories, it can be read on more than one level of meaning. On one, it is an exciting but tragic adventure story. Maintained by the pride of his calling, the only pride he has left, a broken old fisherman ventures far out the Gulf Stream and there he hooks the biggest fish ever seen in those waters. Then, alone and exhausted by his struggle to harpoon the giant marlin, he is forced into a loosing battle with the sharks; they leave him nothing but the skeleton of his catch. On another level, the book is a fable of the unconquerable spirit of man, a creature capable of snatching spiritual victory from circumstances of disaster and material defeat.

All lights are out when he sails into the harbor. In the gloom, he could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. He starts up the shore with the mast and sail of his boat. Once, he falls under their weight and lies patiently until he could gather his strength. In his shack, he falls on his bed to sleep.

There the boy finds him later that morning. Meanwhile other fishermen gather about the skiff and marvel at the giant marlin. When Manolin returns to Santiago's shack with hot coffee, the old man wakes up. Manolin tells him to rest, so he can make himself fit for the days of fishing they will have together. All that afternoon the old man sleeps satisfied that he earns respect of the town. Santiago is dreaming of lions.

r eighty-four days, Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first Manolin had

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gulf Stream, Los Golanos, Santiago Cuban, Herald Tribune, Hemmingway Sea, , Prize Sea, gulf stream, Pulitzer Prize, raking teeth, short novel, fish starts, deep water, giant marlin, skeleton catch,
Approximate Word count = 1068
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)