Old Man and the Sea

Santiago lived an extremely simple life, the life of a fisherman. Although sometimes he wished for some of the modern conveniences others had, he was able to do without them. Other fishermen had radios to pass the time while all Santiago had were his thoughts and sometimes the boy. The old man asked for the help of no one, for he did fine without the others. Santiago learned how to make due with the supplies that he had. On the boat while he is battling the mighty fish, he is able to deal with limited food and drink. He realizes he may be out at sea for a long time, so he rationalizes his supplies. Santiago copes with what he has. He has no one to talk to, and often wished he had, such as his friend Manolin.

Santiago's relationships with others never go into deep personal information, they always stay friendly. His relationship with the boy, known as Manolin, is one of great importance in The Old Man And The Sea. Their relationship is a great friendship which has grown over years. The old man was the first person to ever go fishing with the boy. He was a teacher to Manolin, and showed him everything he knew. The boy would occasionally bring the old man food when he returned if he had not caught anything that day. Santiago read to the boy about baseball. Manolin enjoyed this a lot. "Tell me about the baseball." (6) He enjoyed being in the old man's company for he cared for this man because he was always kind to him. The boy prepared the old man's bait some of the time. They both offered each other the best of company. While out at sea Santiago is constantly wishing the boy was there to talk to or to help with the fish. Santiago does not have relationships with any of the fishermen.