From Santiago’s encounter with the weary warbler to
his decision to rest after contemplating the night sky
Summary
I do not understand these things, he
thought. But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun
or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our
true brothers.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
A small, tired warbler (a type of bird) lands on the stern
of the skiff, flutters around Santiago’s head, then perches on the
taut fishing line that links the old man to the big fish. The old
man suspects that it is the warbler’s first trip, and that it knows
nothing of the hawks that will meet the warbler as it nears land.
Knowing that the warbler cannot understand him, the old man tells
the bird to stay and rest up before heading toward shore. Just then
the marlin surges, nearly pulling Santiago overboard, and the bird
departs. Santiago notices that his hand is bleeding from where the
line has cut it.
Aware that he will need to keep his strength,
the old man makes himself eat the tuna he caught the day before,
which he had expected to use as bait. While he cuts and eats the
fish with his right hand, his already cut left hand cramps and tightens
into a claw under the strain of taking all the fish’s resistance.
Santiago is angered and frustrated by the weakness of his own body,
but the tuna, he hopes, will reinvigorate the hand. As he eats,
he feels a brotherly desire to feed the marlin too.
While waiting for the cramp in his hand to ease, Santiago
looks across the vast waters and thinks himself to be completely
alone. A flight of ducks passes overhead, and he realizes that it
is impossible for a man to be alone on the sea. The slant of the
fishing line changes, indicating to the old fisherman that the fish
is approaching the surface. Suddenly, the fish leaps magnificently
into the air, and Santiago sees that it is bigger than any he has
ever witnessed; it is two feet longer than the skiff itself. Santiago
declares it “great” and promises never to let the fish learn its
own strength. The line races out until the fish slows to its earlier
pace. By noon, the old man’s hand is uncramped, and though he claims
he is not religious, he says ten Hail Marys and ten Our Fathers
and promises that, if he catches the fish, he will make a pilgrimage
to the Virgin of Cobre. In case his struggle with the marlin should
continue for another night, Santiago baits another line in hopes
of catching another meal.
The second day of Santiago’s struggle with the marlin
wears on. The old man alternately questions and justifies seeking
the death of such a noble opponent. As dusk approaches, Santiago’s
thoughts turn to baseball. The great DiMaggio, thinks the old man,
plays brilliantly despite the pain of a bone spur in his heel. Santiago
is not actually sure what a bone spur is, but he is sure he would
not be able to bear the pain of one himself. (A bone spur is an
outgrowth that projects from the bone.) He wonders if DiMaggio would
stay with the marlin. To boost his confidence, the old man recalls
the great all-night arm-wrestling match he won as a young man. Having
beaten “the great negro from Cienfuegos [a town in Cuba],” Santiago earned
the title El Campeón, or “The Champion.”
Just before nightfall, a dolphin takes the
second bait Santiago had dropped. The old man hauls it in with one
hand and clubs it dead. He saves the meat for the following day.
Although Santiago boasts to the marlin that he feels prepared for
their impending fight, he is really numb with pain. The stars come
out. Santiago considers the stars his friends, as he does the great
marlin. He considers himself lucky that his lot in life does not
involve hunting anything so great as the stars or the moon. Again,
he feels sorry for the marlin, though he is as determined as ever
to kill it. The fish will feed many people, Santiago decides, though
they are not worthy of the creature’s great dignity. By starlight,
still bracing and handling the line, Santiago considers rigging
the oars so that the fish will have to pull harder and eventually
tire itself out. He fears this strategy would ultimately result
in the loss of the fish. He decides to “rest,” which really just
means putting down his hands and letting the line go across his
back, instead of using his own strength to resist his opponent.
After “resting” for two hours, Santiago chastises himself
for not sleeping, and he fears what could happen should his mind
become “unclear.” He butchers the dolphin he caught earlier and
finds two flying fish in its belly. In the chilling night, he eats
half of a fillet of dolphin meat and one of the flying fish. While
the marlin is quiet, the old man decides to sleep. He has several
dreams: a school of porpoises leaps from and returns to the ocean;
he is back in his hut during a storm; and he again dreams of the
lions on the beach in Africa.
