Santiago, the old fisherman, is regarded as unlucky and defeated by the men in his village because he has caught no fish in eighty-four days. However, he is still full of confidence in himself. His only fault is that with old age comes loss of strength, but the knowledge remains with him.

For the first forty days of his mission, a young but very mature boy, Manolin, accompanies Santiago. The two shares a similar philosophy based not on competition with one another but on love, loyalty, and respect. Friendship and faith join them. The old man demonstrates to the boy that when all is lost and seems hopeless, a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. His constant belief in the Yankees, although their greatest player is injured, conveys to the boy an important life lesson in faith. Santiago believes in the boy and in himself when almost no one does. Conceivably, faith can be seen as his greatest attribute because it is what gave him the strength he needed to pursue and subsequently defeat

Throughout his trial with the marlin, Santiago frequently reminisces upon his past victories and achievements in hopes of gaining confidence for use in the struggles the lie ahead. He often recalls one event in particular; his battle with a native in what he called the "hand game". To the old man, his arm wrestling victory was not just another triumph to boast about, but instead, served as a pleasing reminder of his youthful days.

Unconsciously searching for other methods to gain confidence and hope, Santiago dreams of young lions roaming an African beach. This symbolizes the spunk of his youth, a time when he possessed all those qualities that the present moment now begged of him. Apparently, the main function of the dream is to allow the old man to obtain energy and strength using private images as his source.

In the story, Santiago's bravery is unsurpassed, but it is not until he captures the "great fish" that we truly begin to understand the value and endurance of this noble man. With strength gone and mental power diminishing, his fight with the great fish takes on the role of a supreme test of his greatness. He had "hooked" the biggest fish he had ever seen or heard of and it was no wonder that his skill and mastery were to undergo their greatest challenge of all.

Santiago's main motivations were to instill permanent faith into his you

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hemingway's Sea, selfhood achieved,
Approximate Word count = 930
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)