The Old Man and the Sea has two characters, unless you count the sea critters of course. The main one, in which the story revolves around is Santiago. He is an old fisherman that is about to embark on an adventure in the gulf stream. The other character is a young boy named Manolin. The narrator often just refers to these characters as the young boy and old man.
The relationship between these two characters are very much like a father-son relationship or maybe a grandson-grandfather one. They are close,and seem to have known each other for quite some time now. The boy does have parents, though the story doesn't elaborate on it much. Maybe the boy is more comfortable around the old man than his parents, or maybe just as comfortable. Whatever way, these characters are very close.
Santiago is adores the young boy. He is very protective of him (just as Manilon is for the old man.) Often when the old man was out at sea all he thought about was how he wished the young boy was with him. It was quite precious to see how dependent he was on the young boy and how much he missed him. From what the book made it seem like, the boy was one of or maybe the only person really close to the old man now, and maybe the boy is all he has left.
The boy is also very caring of the old man. He fed him when he knew he needed to be feed, and nurtured him. He often knew when the man needed care that he was not giving himself. The boy even cried quite a bit when the old man passed out. Though it was not a big, the boy probably thought about what it's going to be like when the old man does finally go, or the fact that he truly is growing old now, and may not be able to take care of himself anymore. Or even just the shock of seeing someone you love being that vulnerable, because that is a completely shocking and depressing experience.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.
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