The Old Man and the Sea study guide contains a biography of Ernest Hemingway, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The short novel was regarded as an instant classic, revitalizing Hemingway’s career and the critical opinion of his work. The story begins, as you might expect, with an old man. What began as a simple story about an aging fisherman, turned into something far more meaningful.. Summary of The Old Man & The Sea We also meet a boy who is dear friends with the old man. He is also not eating very much. The old man tells Manolin that he was beaten. Manolin sits with Santiago until he awakes and then gives the old man some coffee. One of his most famous works, it tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Cuba. The old man rowed out to sea alone, letting the current do some of the work. Incredibly poor, he sleeps in a shack and sets out each day on a small skiff to try to catch himself some fish to eat or sell. The old man taught him to fish when he was young, and the boy brings the old man food. Manolin sits with Santiago until he awakes and then gives the old man some coffee. For years, Santiago has been fishing with a young boy named Manolin. It was his last major work of fiction. On the 85th day, he is determined to catch a big, impressive fish. The old man, whose name is Santiago, is a fisherman who lives alone near Havana. Regarded as one of his most famous works, this story is read in high schools all over America. But Manolin reassures him that the great fish didn't beat him and that they will fish together again, that luck doesn't matter, and that the old man still has much to teach him. But Manolin reassures him that the great fish didn't beat him and that they will fish together again, that luck doesn't matter, and that the old man still has much to teach him. The Old Man and the Sea, short heroic novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1952 and awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The old man tells Manolin that he was beaten. The two factors are related. For eighty-four days, Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, has set out to sea and returned empty-handed. A short summary of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. The Old Man and the Sea study guide contains a biography of Ernest Hemingway, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. He's not had much good fortune of late and has gone almost three months without a major catch while others are catching one or even two large marlins every week. Old Man and the Sea Plot Summary. The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cuba, and published in 1952. The story centers on an aging fisherman who engages in an epic battle to catch a giant marlin. The Old Man and the Sea Summary. Now an old man, a lifelong fisherman sets out to sea to ply his trade as he has done all of his life. The Old Man and the Sea is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. He had fished by the deep wells previously, so this time he thought he'd try where the schools of bonito and albacore are. It was the last major work of fiction by Hemingway that was published during his lifetime. He is a fisherman who has not caught a fish in 84 days. The Old Man and the Sea won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and was influential in Hemingway’s receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature the next year. In a small fishing village in Cuba, Santiago, an old, weathered fisherman has just gone 84 days without catching a fish. Originally published in 1952, The Old Man and The Sea is a short novel written by Ernest Hemingway…and it is rich with symbolism! The small cast of characters in The Old Man and the Sea consists of Santiago, the old fisherman, and Manolin, the boy who has fished with him for years. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Old Man and the Sea.