The Old Man and the Sea - Manolin

Even though he was hardly seen in the book, I feel that Manolin plays a very important part in how the book turned out. The boy helps give the old man hope, both at the beginning of the story and at the end. If it was not for the boy, why would the old man have gone through what he did? I think that the boy motivates the old man with his confidence, and the old man thinks of that and picks himself up.

I first noticed this in the beginning of the book. Until the boy start talking with Santiago, the tone is very depressing. The man is upset about his recent failures at fishing. When the old man and the boy get to talking, the tone starts to get brighter. It even says "His hope and his confidence had never gone. But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises." (Hemingway 13). The boy and his optimism make the old man more optimistic as well. This helps him greatly, because without the hopeful attitude of the boy, the old man probably would have given up on fishing, despite his love for it.

Later, when Santiago is having difficulties with the fish, he thinks that if the boy were with him he would help. He really loves the boy and thinks of him as a great help to him physically and mentally. After that, he thinks of how good it was that the fish jumped and that his hands were not really so bad (Hemingway 42). I do not think it is just a coincidence that the old man is more optimistic after thinking about the boy. The boy really seems to give the old man hope that he can achieve his goals. Just like how Manolin serves as the sunshine in Santiago's life, we can see that that the boy shows the old man how there is good in every situation.

In the end of the book, when the old man goes home, the first thing the he says is "they beat me." Despite this declaration of failure, at the end of the book, the old man is making plans to go fishing again (Hemingway 58-59). I believe that when he got home, he thought about how the boy would encourage him to continue. The boy's optimistic attitude and confidence in the old man helps give the old man more confidence in himself. Because of this, the old man is able to keep going and endure what he must even when things go badly. Manolin serves as a beacon of hope and confidence for the old man, and thats why he is so important to the story.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.