He is an old man. His name was Santiago. The old man was an experienced fisherman. He was fishing in the Gulf Stream off Cuba and hadn't caught a single fish in the last 84 days. Other local fishermen called it his bad luck. Young mandolinists worked with him as apprentices. His constant failure to catch a fish affected the thoughts of Mandolin's parents. They ordered their son Mandolin not to fish with the old man. The old man showed great patience and determination. On the eighty-fifth day, he decided to go fishing in the sea, hoping to definitely catch big fish.
The mandolin boy brought the old man fresh bait and sardines to eat. He pushed the old man's boat into the water and wished him "good luck." The old man went on an adventure early in the morning. Before daybreak he reached the part of the sea that the fishermen called the Great Spring. The old man threw four baits into the sea at different depths. The first bait was at a depth of fifty fathoms, the second at seventy-five fathoms, the third at one hundred, and the fourth at one hundred and twenty-five fathoms. When the sun rose, the old man saw birds large and small flying in the sky. The old man stayed on the open sea for three days and three nights in a row.
On the first day at noon the deepest line shook, and the old man had the feeling that he had caught a big fish, the marlin. He tried to pull it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it. He wished the boy had been with him and helped him get the fish. The old man had a lot of competition with the big fish. The pull and pressure on the line told the old man that the fish was very large. The fish dragged the boat in different directions for three days and three nights. On the second day, the old man had the opportunity to watch the fish jump out of the water in search of air. The old man stood in his place on the boat and was sweating profusely. The fish showed no signs of nervousness. During his competition with the fish, he injured his right hand and cramped his left hand. He felt alone. He promised to say prayers to Mary and Christ, beginning with the Word of God if he succeeded in killing the fish.
On the third day, at sunrise, the big fish seemed tired. The fish started making circles. Sometimes the big fish would approach the boat and then disappear into the sea. The old man continued. Bring the marlin closer until its mouth touches the boards of the boat. He summoned all his strength and plunged the harpoon into the fish's shoulder. Blood flowed from his heart, turning the seawater red. The old man estimated that the fish might weigh more than fifteen hundred pounds. With great effort and a lot of work, he tied the fish to his boat. He began a journey to his house. I felt like the sharks were attacking the big fish. I was ready to fight the sharks. After an hour he saw a terrible shark approaching the boat. He recognized him as Make.
The shark attacked the large fish's tail and ate at least forty pounds of flesh. The old man stabbed the Makes brain with his harpoon. The shark died instantly and sank into the sea. In this fight the old man was deprived of his harpoon and rope. The old man had to face attacks from two more sharks. The old man identified these shoveler sharks as Galanoses. He killed these sharks with a knife and tied it to the end of an oar. They appear to have eaten a quarter of the body of the marlin that died in this attack. Before sunset, two more sharks attacked a large fish. The old man hit them on the head with a club and seriously injured them. They also gave the old man a lot of marlin. At midnight he saw the bright lights of Havana. He was close to the goal. Then a group of sharks attacked the fish. He took his bat and beat her mercilessly. Some of the sharks got under the boat and tore apart the flesh of the fish. The Old Man managed to kill them, but at that moment only the skeleton of the fish remained. The old man brought his boat to the foot of the rock and tied it up. He was completely tired. When he reached his hut, he took a glass of water from the pitcher and made his way tot the sheep. In the morning, the boy visited his hut. He was very sorry to see the old man in such a pitiful condition. Started crying.
Later he went to the restaurant and brought the old man coffee. The old man woke up. He gave him coffee and comforted him.