By Katie S.

Often in works of writing, an individual struggles against powerful obstacles that affect him significantly. Such is the case in the compelling novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Manolin, the boy in the story, comes face to face with difficult impediments. He is torn between his duty to his parents, his love for Santiago, the main protagonist in the novella, and his unwillingness to believe that Santiago must be dead after three days at sea. Being a boy of a young age, he has difficulty juggling all of his mixed feelings and ideas.

Manolin wants to fish with Santiago, but his parents have forbidden it. After 40 days without a fish, his parents were convinced, "that the old man was now definitely and finally salao" (9). They put him on another boat that caught three fish in the first week. He even tells the old man, "I could go with you again. We’ve made some money" (10) showing his desire to fish with the man who taught him how to fish. I think this might also have something to do with the way the old man feels about the sea. Most of the younger fishermen think of it as el mar, something masculine to compete against. Santiago thinks of the sea as la mar, as a woman. He believes that she is, "something that gave or withheld great favors" (30). This might affect Manolin because he believes one thing while his superiors believe another. He doesn’t know what to do. He knows the old man is right, but he can’t disagree with the men he is fishing with.

The boy has been with Santiago since he was five. When they fish, they probably spend a large amount of their time talking. It must get boring out there with nothing to do but wait. They know each other very well. The boy is "sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty" (9), he wishes that there were more he could do for him. As it is, Manolin is feeding him and buying him bait to try and help him get that fish. The boy understands that Santiago does still have some pride and allows "this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too"(16). After a long day fishing, they talk baseball. The boy has unrelenting faith in the old man: "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only one you" (23), he gets the way the old man fishes. Hardly anyone fishes the old fashioned way anymore. They have buoys and motorboats. The old man uses his skill and strength and that iswhy Manolin loves and admires him.

After Santiago has been gone for three days at sea, everyone has given up. It is common knowledge that a fisherman’s life is dangerous. The boy, however, refuses to give up. Every evening "he waits and watches for an old man rowing a dilapidated skiff towing the biggest marlin ever seen" (131). His faith in Santiago never wavers for a second. His parents, on the other hand, are trying to brace him for the inevitable; when the time comes that the Coast Guard does bring in a piece of skiff or the man’s body. This causes a rift in their relationship "Manolin couldn’t understand his parents’ doubt. Didn’t they know that Santiago was the greatest fisherman ever?" (148). This point in the story could be considered a second climax. It is the point where Manolin’s duty and love head-butt each other and he has to choose between them.

It is strenuous for a youth such as Manolin to keep all of his mingled consciousness and concepts straight. He knows that his obligation is to his parents, but at the same time he feels that Santiago is a shrewd grandfather figure who deserves just as much respect as his parents. Manolin also keeps faith that Santiago will return alive, unlike everyone else who writes him off as deceased. Manolin’s internal conflicts can be felt throughout the story. Ernest Hemingway did a marvelous job finding a way to give Manolin a voice, no matter how small the voice.