1. The Old Man and the Sea (Long Q&A)
Q1. Describe the episode of Santiago’s hand game with the negro from Cienfuegos.
Ans1. The hand game between Santiago and the negro from Cienfuegos lasted for one day
and a night. Their elbows were set on a chalk line on a table, their forearms straight up and
hands gipped tight. Each one was trying to force the other’s hand down onto the table.
People had started betting. They kept going in and out of the room that was lit with
kerosene lights. But Santiago’s focus was on arm, hand and face of his opponent. The
referees got tired after the first eight hours. Referees were change after every four hours so
that they could catch some sleep. Blood came out from under the finger nails of both the
negro and Santiago. Both men looked each other in the eyes and at each other’s hands. Some
people sat on high chairs against the walls and while some kept entering and leaving the
room, gathering news about the status of the match. The walls of wood were painted in
bright blue colour. The shadows of both players fell of the walls. As the breeze moved the
flames of the lamps the huge shadow of the negro moved too. All night the odds changed
back and forth. The negro was given rum and cigarettes. After gulping down some run he
fought with tremendous effort and at one time he succeeded in bringing young Santiago
three inches off balance. But again Santiago raised his hand. The negro was a fine man and a
great athlete and Santiago was sure that he would beat this man in the game. During the day
when everybody was thinking of calling it a draw and the referee too was shaking his head,
Santiago unleashed his effort and gradually brought down the hand of his opponent till it
rested on the wooden table. The match that had started on a Sunday morning ended on a
Monday morning. There were people who wanted a draw as they had to work at the docks
to load sacks of sugar or work at the Havana Coal Company and so they had asked for a
draw. Else, they would have wanted the match to go to a finish. Santiago, however, had
finished the match before they had to go for work.
Q2. How did Santiago catch the huge fish?
Ans2. While being towed by the huge Santiago found that the fish had started circling.
Santiago held that line in hands hoping that the strain exerted on the line will shorten his
circle each time. The fish went on circling slowly and the effort made the old man wet with
sweat and tired deep into the bones. After some time the circle became shorter and the slant
of the line told Santiago that the fish had risen steadily while he swam. Suddenly there were
banging and jerking on the line and Santiago understood that the fish was hitting the wire
leader which would make him jump. The fish had to take air but Santiago preferred that he
kept circling. Each time the fish shook his head the old man gave up a little line. The fish
stopped jerking and again started circling. But Santiago felt fain again. He lifted some water
with his left hand and put it on his head. He also rubbed some water on the back of his neck.
He slipped the line over his back and decided to rest while the fish circled. Once Santiago
understood from the strain on the line that the fish was moving towards the boat, he started
the pivoting and the weaving that brought in all the line he gained. Though Santiago was
extremely tired he thought that it would only two or three turns more to have the fish. As
the fish was circling the old man could see the size and colour of the fish. It was huge. The
fish started making placid turns and Santiago was sure he could get the harpoon in two
turns that the fish would make. He prepared himself for the shot mentally by trying to calm
his mind. On the next turn made by the fish Santiago missed it and the fish went on to take
another turn. The strain that he had to take in handling the huge fish made him feel faint
again. His mouth grew too dry to speak. He could not reach for the water. Here were times
when he saw no possibility of being able to catch the fish. But his mind never let him accept
defeat. Again on the second turn Santiago missed the fish. He was talking to the fish as if the
fish was his only company. The activity of the fish was almost draining the last ounce of
energy left in him but still he could not help appreciating the calm and noble way the fish

2. was escaping. Santiago was so tired and desperate at the same time that he did not care if
the fish killed him. But immediately he cleared his mind by reminding himself that he born
all the pain to actually kill the fish. He tried again and again but failed. Still Santiago did not
give up. He summoned all his pain and his long gone pride and got into action as the fish
swam gently on his side and started to pass the boat. Santiago dropped the line and put his
foot down on it. He lifted his harpoon as high as he could and brought it down with all his
strength into the fish’s side just behind the great chest fin that rose high in the air to the
altitude of the man’s chest. With the harpoon stuck deep inside him the fish rose high out of
the water showing his great length, width, power and beauty. He seemed to hand in the air
above the man in the skiff. He then fell into the water with a crash that spayed water over
the old man and the skiff. Santiago felt faint and he could not see clearly. He cleared the
harpoon line and let it run through his raw hands. He could see the fish on its back with its
silver belly up. The harpoon was projecting at an angle from the fish’s shoulder. Santiago
pulled the fish alongside He passed a line through its gills and out its mouth and made its
head fast alongside the bow.
Q3. How did Santiago fight the shovel-nosed sharks? Why was the fight noteworthy?
Ans3. After the attack of the Mako shark, Santiago had to fight a pair of shovel-nosed
sharks. One of the fishes went out sight. It had gone down under the skiff. The skiff shook as
it jerked and pulled on the fish. The other fish watched Santiago with it slitted yellow eyes.
Then it came fast and attacked the fish with its half circle of jaws. It hit the fish where it was
already bitten. Santiago could clearly see the line on top of its brown head and back where
the brain joined the spinal cord. Santiago drove the knife on the oar into the juncture. H
withdrew it and drove it again in the shark’s yellow cat-like eyes. The shark let go of the fish
and slid down. But the destructive activity of the other shark still made the skiff shake.
Santiago let go the sheet so that the skiff swung broadside and the shark was exposed from
under the skiff. After seeing the shark Santiago leaned over and punched at him. What he
hit was only meat and he could barely get the knife in as the hide was set hard. The git hurt
Santiago’s hand and shoulder. The shark then came out fast with his head out. The old man
hit him squarely in the centre of his flat-topped head. The old man withdrew the blade and
punched the shark exactly at the same spot again. The shark somehow still remained stuck
to his catch with its jaws locked. Santiago then stabbed him in the left eye but the shark still
refused to give up. But then Santiago drove the knife between the vertebrae and the brain.
This time was an easy shot and Santiago could hear the cartilage severe. The old man then
reversed the oar and put the blade between the jaws of the shark to open them. He twisted
the blade and the shark slid loose. The fight was noteworthy because it was fought by an old
man when he was extremely. He even felt like fainting but he still carried on the fight. The
fight with the sharks is symbolic of the struggle man has to face during his lifetime. While
fight the sharks Santiago was far out the sea. He could neither go across to a nearby island
nor could he go back to the shore. He had only one option for survival, to fight back. And
that was whatSantiago had done. He fought back the sharks even after getting hurt himself.
He had failed to save his achievement from destruction but he somehow did not let the
sharks take it away completely. He managed to save the little bit which he took back. But he
did not accept defeat. He fought with the last ounce of strength left in him. Santiago’s fight
is a picture of strength of man’s determination. It does not matter how physically strong a
man is. All that matters is how strong is a man’s determination. There are many young
people who fear to take the plunge that involves risks. But a man like Santiago, who had not
had any luck in fishing for eighty-four days had taken the risk of going out far into the sea to
fish. And his endeavour did come out successful. He had not come back a saleable fish but
he managed to come back alive with some part of it, that too without any help. Santiago had
fought his fight all alone. It was his pride that he had killed the huge fish. His catch was his

3. pride as an experienced fisherman and he was successful in showing the world that he did it
all alone. It was Santiago’s spirit that had made the fight remarkable and noteworthy.
Q4. What can you say about the character of Manolin?
Ans4. Manolin represents the handful of people in the world who possess the tender feeling
of love and compassion for their mentor or guide. We can also say that Manolin had feelings
for Santiago not only because Santiago was his guide in the profession of fishing but also
because he was old man. In the beginning of the story we come to know how unlucky
Santiago had been in his fishing for which he had to spend eighty-four days without fish.
Manolin, a boy who had started earning in his fishing career, had to shift to another boat by
the order of his parents. But every day he helped Santiago carry his fishing gear back home.
He felt sad seeing an old man return every day with an empty skiff. He not only helped
carry Santiago’s fishing instruments to and fro from his shack but he also bought Santiago
coffee and his dinner. They ate and discussed the baseball match. Sometimes they would
drift off to an imaginary world of their own. Manolin’s activities showed how much he
cared for Santiago. To provide loyal service to his employer he did not accompany Santiago
go alone far out into the sea. But his real character comes out after Santiago comes back from
his expedition far out in the sea. Each day he had come to see if Santiago had returned from
the sea. He was crying when he saw the boat and the fish lashed beside. He was not
ashamed of hiding his tears that flowed for Santiago. He was did not care about what the
world would think him to be as he cried for a man who was a loser for the world. He knew
that Santiago was an apparentloser. After he left Santiago’s shack finding him asleep on his
bed he went to get a can of coffee with plenty of milk and sugar in it. He knew that Santiago
badly needed care. His energy had to be revived. He also gathered some wood to heat the
coffee that he had brought. He ordered people not to disturb him. He sat beside Santiago till
he woke. Manolin acted like an ideal son to Santiago. Santiago may not have fathered him
but his deeds had shown him how to face the odds of life. Manolin was wise enough to
understand that learning how to fight the odds of the sea was vital for a fisherman. He also
knew that the best teacher for him would be Santiago, a person who had come out alive after
facing tough odds which many fishermen would not have faced willingly. Santiago was the
ideal person from whom he could learn the skills of overcoming the seemingly
insurmountable troubles of the sea. He decided and declared that from next time he and
Santiago would go for fishing together. It did not matter to him how many fish he caught.
What he would be able to learn from Santiago about living on the sea was more important to
him. At the end of the story we see how maturely Manolin takes care of Santiago. He also
learns to take his own decision and he had ultimately decided to go against his parents’
wishes and join Santiago in fishing. This, he thought, would serve a twofold purpose – his
company would be of great help to Santiago and it would also be a great learning process
for himself. Manolin’s character shows greater maturity than most of the other fishermen
who had made fun of Santiago. They chose to remain happy and content only with the
number fishes they caught. They never dared to face the real dangers of the sea and catch
their fishes. They were happy with small achievements. But Manolin had recognised what a
successful man Santiago had turned out to be. He only needed physical help. He was a
fighter and a knowledgeable person in the truest sense. Manolin loved Santiago for his brave
heart and never-say-die spirit and he worshipped the man. He turned out to be the ideal
person Santiago needed as a company.
Q4. How can you say that The Old Man and the Sea is a symbolic story?
Ans4. The story The Old Man and the Sea is a highly symbolic story. The story apparently
sounds like a story of an ordinary old fisherman. The story shows how Santiago was teased
by other successful fishermen for being a loser. They were successful because they were able
to catch fishes. Santiago lacked the physical strength needed to catch fishes. He was old, frail
and had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish. Needless to say, these eighty-four

4. days he had not much to eat to start a daring expedition. He had no family. He only had the
company of a young boy who had started earning by fishing. The story mainly highlights
how he struggled to catch a huge fish and how he fought the sharks away from biting into
the fish. However, Santiago failed here too. If success is judged from the materialistic point
of view, Santiago had horribly failed. He had struggled to bring back a fish that neither
fitted into his boat nor could be saved from the attacks of the sharks of the sea. But if judged
from the spiritual point of view, Santiago was a bravest of all men. He was one that should
have been followed rather being laughed at. Youthful energy is something that lasts for a
short while. Santiago too possessed his youthful energy once upon a time. But the real
lesson of life is to learn how to develop a spirit that keeps even an old and frail body strong
enough to fight the greatest of dangers. Santiago had this spirit in his old frame. In this story
we find four characters - Santiago, Manolin, the huge fish and the sea. Santiago represents
mankind and his spirit symbolises the strength of the human race. He might have been
laughed and jeered at by other fishermen. But he did not let his situation dampen his spirit.
He kept up his struggle against the odds of life and endured till he reached his end, sailing
beyond the other fishermen and catching the biggest fish. At the beginning of the story we
get to know that Santiago’s hands bore the marks of wounds which he had when he used to
catch big fishes. He was successful fisherman in his younger days and that gave him the
pride to bear the pain of catching the fish and fighting the sharks. Santiago’s pride lay in his
experience and confidence in his capability and expertise. Pride is therefore seen as a
tremendous source of strength in this story. Manolin here symbolises the tender feelings of
love, care and loyalty. He also shows paternal care towards Santiago when he said that
Santiago would not go fishing without eating as long as he lived. Just as Santiago took care
of him on the sea by teaching him the skills of fishing, he too took care of Santiago on land
by helping him carry his fishing gear, helping him have his food and provide him some
comfort with a hot can of coffee. Towards the end of the novella we see how Manolin goes
against his parents’ wishes and chooses to fish with Santiago. His transformation comes out
of love and the realisation that the greatest achievement as a fisherman has been made by
Santiago and not by other fishermen. The other fishermen had never dared to go beyond
their limits to test their skills. Santiago had shown the courage and he worshipped him for
this spirit. He realised that Santiago was a sea of knowledge. If he had to draw living out of
the huge sea, he should first delve into Santiago’s sea of knowledge. Manolin’s character in
the story is also Hemingway’s way of showing that Santiago might die physically but he will
live through Manolin. The sea, according to many critics, is seen as Santiago’s natural
environment. Santiago eats turtle eggs and shark oil to gain energy for fishing. He watches
the birds and the weeds that create phosphorescence in the sea water. Santiago has a unique
connection with his natural environment. But he sees the sea as a female which roars with
anger when it cannot help them with what they need. Other critics see the sea can also be
seen as life and the various challenges it throws towards man. The sea is full of surprises. It
had surprises for Santiago too. But Santiago was not cowed down by the unpleasant
challenges thrown at him by the sea. He bore the pain and dealt with the unpleasant
situation in the best way he could. He had lost his harpoon and rope in the attempt to fight
the Mako shark. He used his oar and a blade to attack the shovel-nosed sharks. And he was
left with minimum means after the fight with the sharks. Still he did not lose and found his
way back to the shore. The sea acts as another source of strength that re-established
Santiago’s confidence in his capability and thereby strengthened his pride.