NAME: EGBENIYI MARY TEJU

MATRIC NUMBER: 220321070

COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO FICTION
COURSE CODE: ENG 121
DEPARTMENT: ENGLISH
LEVEL: 100

SYNOPSIS OF THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

The plot of the old man and the sea summary is of Cuba, Havana. It is a story of an epic struggle
between an old, seasoned fisherman Santiago and his life’s greatest catch of fish. Santiago is an aged
Cuban fisherman. For eighty four days, he has set out to sea but every time returned empty handed.
So his fisherman society treats him unlucky also, his young, devoted apprentice and friend,
mandolin, was forced by his parent to leave the old man in order to fish in a more prosperous boat.
Still, the boy continues to care for the old man upon his return every night. He always helps the old
man for his need for food and clothes etc. he usually discusses with him about the latest
development in American Baseball, especially the trails of the old man’s hero, Jeo Dimaggio.
Santiago is still confident that all these unproductive streaks will soon end. And that he will be able
to resolve to sail out further than the usual the following day.
On the eighty fifth day, Santiago does as promised, sailing his skiff far beyond the islands shallow
coastal. He enters into the Gulf Stream. He prepares his lines for fishing am and drops them. At
noon, a big fish, which is a marlin, takes the bait placed by him at the hundred fathoms deep in the
waters. Then he expertly hooks the fish, but unable to pull it in. whereas, the fish itself begins to pull
the boat with an old man.
The old man was unable to tie his lines fast to the boat due to fear that the fish would snap a taut
line. Therefore, the old man bears the strain of the line with his shoulder, back, and hands, and he is
ready to give slack should the marlin make a run. Throughout the day, fish pulls the boat even in the
night and through another day and through another night too. During the time Santiago endures the
constant pain from the fishing line for every attempt of freedom by the fish, the cord cuts his body
badly. In spite of all wounds, the old man feels a deep empathy and admiration for the marlin fish.
At last on the third day, the fish tires, and Santiago who becomes deprived and nearly delirious,
manages to pull the marlin close enough to kill it with a harpoon thrust. After the death of marlin,
Santiago lashes it to his boat and sets the boat for home. Santiago is excited by the price that the
marlin will bring at the market, and even he is more concerned about the people who will at the fish
are unworthy of its greatness.
As Santiago sails, marlins blood leaves a trail in the water and eventually attracts sharks. At first,
great shark attack, which he manages to slay with the harpoon. In this struggle, he loses the harpoon
and lengths of valuable rope. The old man fights as best as he can although he killed the sharks that
appears. By night falls, and continuous fight of Santiago against the scavengers becomes useless.
They almost ate the complete meat of the marlin leaving the skeleton. Finally, Santiago arrives home
before day break, stumbles back to his shacks and sleeps deeply.
The next morning, a crowd of amazed fishermen, tourist gathered around the big skeleton of the fish
without knowing the old man struggle. Then Manolin comes and check on the old man and fetches
him some coffee and the daily paper about the score of baseball. When the old man wakes, the two
agrees to fish as partners once again. The old man returns to his sleep and dreams about lion at play
on the beaches of Africa as usual.
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