The style is short, straightforward sentences with one-syllable words. The storyline is easy enough for a child to follow and the themes are clear and basic, showing manly courage, endurance, and noble suffering. .
In fact, the novel would be little more than an adventure story were it not for Santiago's dialogues with himself - his repetitive and symbolic, daydreams and plottings. .
Unlike other fishermen, who see the ocean merely in terms of economic gain, Santiago looks on the sea and its inhabitants with love and respect. Notably, he prefers to call the sea "la mar," its feminine form, rather than the harsher, masculine "el mar." .
I see Christian symbolism in the story: Santiago means St. James in Spanish; the battle with the fish lasts three days; Santiago, arriving at the shore, carries his mast, like a cross, on his shoulders, and, like the biblical Christ, stumbles under its load. Later, the fisherman lies down exhausted on the floor of his hut with his arms stretched out stiffly and the palms of his hands up. .
But the giant fish - representing the hopes and dreams of mankind - and the old man's relationship with it, is what creates the extraordinary pathos of the novel. And, in the end, even Santiago's (humankind's) modest expectations are snatched from his grasp. .
Santiago is an aged Cuban man, a skilled fisherman by profession. His neck is wrinkled from the sun, and his hands bear the scars of many fishing battles; only his blue eyes remain bright and cheerful. By personality, Santiago is brave, confident, cheerful, determined, and optimistic, not letting anything in life rattle him. Even when he does not catch a single fish for eighty-four days, he refuses to be discouraged. He has had streaks of bad luck in the past, and he is hopeful that the next day will bring him better luck. In fact, he makes up his mind to go far out to sea and try his luck, optimistic that he may catch a really large fish.
