Character Thoughts in the Old Man and the Sea

In the book, The Old Man and The Sea, there are two major characters.  The two defined characters are Santiago (the old man) and Manolin (the young boy). They are really the only two characters in the book. They are together in the beginning of the book, but then it is basically a story of Santiago. From the beginning, the reader could feel and see a close bond between Santiago and Manolin. Although they have no relation to one another, they watch out and show a lot of gratitude for each other. I am sure that it is not easy going on all alone to fish, but Santiago wanted to see Manolin succeed. He was not going to be able to do that with the luck that Santiago was having, so he told the boy to go with the other fisherman. "You're with a luck boat. Stay with them." (Hemingway, 10). It really shows how much love and care about one another. Manolin wants to go with Santiago, but Santiago wants to see Manolin catch fish. Even though Santiago does not have much money, Manolin always finds a way to get Santiago dinner, coffee, or whatever he needs. Throughout the book, when Santiago is by himself fishing, he is constantly saying, "I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this." (Hemingway, 48). Even though he told Manolin he could not come with him, he is always wishing he had him to help.

The other character that is in The Old Man and the Sea is really a group of people in the town. They are the group of fishermen that make fun of Santiago for not being able to catch any fish. At the beginning, they are making fun of him at the bar, but Santiago ignores them. At the end of the book, when Santiago has the skeleton of the marlin that he caught, the fisherman see it and they are immediately taken back. They realize how big the fish is and are amazed, and they probably will stop teasing him.