The Old Man and the

Sea

BY: QASIM WATTOO

CLICK: QASIM WATTOO OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL

1. Major characters of the novel/ symbolic importance of the novel

Santiago
He is the central figre ‫ مرکزی کردار‬of the novel. He is the severe victi of the loneliness. He
lives in a siall
cottaie near the shore. He ioes withogt fshini for the last 5 aass bgt he aoes not lose heart.
On 56 aas, he
catches a bii fsh, arlin bgt at the ena is aeprrivea of the frgit of his life bs the crgel attaccs of
the sharcs.
Santaio is the ssibol of Hgian beinis.
Manolin
He is a sogni bos who is the onls prgpril ‫ شاگرد‬ana friena of the ola ian at the sea. First forts
aass, he
accoipranies the ola ian bgt afer forts aass, his prarents shif hii to another boat sasini that
the ola ian is a Salao ‫ بد قسمت‬. Bgt he stll loves ana resprect the ola ian ana helprs hii. He
is vers attachea to the ola ian. He
brinis fooa for hii, has iossipr with hii ana encograies the ola ian. anaolin is the ssibol
of sogth ana
cograie.
Marlin, the Fish
It is a vers hgie fsh cagiht bs the ola ian. It iives vers togih tie to the ola ian. It prglls the
ola ian aloni with his scif for three aass ana niihts. It is 15 feet loni ana has prgrprle striprs on
the boas. At the ena it is eaten awas bs the sharcs. arline is the ssibol of ogr aiis ana ioals
in life.
Sharks
In the novel, sharcs reprresent the hostle forces of the natgre. Thes attacc the fsh one bs one
frst ana in the praccs later on. Thes aeprrive the ola ian of the frgit of his loni eforts. Ola ian
cillea soie of thei bgt as thes were larie in ngibers, so thes aefeatea the ola ian
ogtwarals. Sharcs are the ssibol of prrobleis ana aifcglts in life.
Sea
Sea prlass a vers iiprortant role in the prroiress of the novel. Heiiniwas has treatea the sea as
a livini beini. It is vers cina ana prroviaes sgbsistence to the hgian. Bgt soieties, it becoies
vers crgel ana harsh. The iiprortance of its role cannot be aeniea. Sea is the ssibol of worla.

2. Describe the themes of the novel, “The Old Man and the Sea”?

“The Ola an ana the Sea” is a vers interestni novel bs Ernest Heiiniwas. In its iain ogtline
the stors is qgite siiprle. Soie of gs ias thinc that the stors is nothini becagse it enas at the
failgre of the ola ian. Bgt this is not the correct aprprroach to the novel. The stors leaves an
ever lastni iiprression on the reaaers. The strgiile of the ola ian froi the beiinnini tll the
ena is the real chari of the novel
The stors ias be interprretea in aiferent wass bgt three theies seei to be ogtstanaini, the
frst is that sgccess ana failgre are two iiprortant asprects ‫ پہلو‬of hgian s’ life. Secona theie
prrojects ian s’
aeprenaence ‫ انحصار‬on other fellow beinis. Thira one tells that ceaseless eforts are the
essence of the life.
First of all the novel tells that sgccess ana failgre are the two iiprortant asprects of hgian life.
Thes alwass io siae bs siae throgihogt the life. One ias not alwass be sgccessfgl set one
shogla alwass worc for it. Santaio, the ola ian ioes on for fshini withogt ans sgccess bgt he
aoes not lose heart. Afer forts aass of his strgiile, he is even aeprrivea of his onls coipranion,
anolin whose prarents shifea hii to another boat sasini that the ola ian is an gnlgccs. The
ola ian, however, was not aisaprprointea he contngea to worc all alone. On the eiihts ffh aas,
he went far ogt in the sea ana was able to hooc a arlin. The arlin contngea prgllini his boat
for three aass. Eventgalls, he was able to cill the fsh bgt his sgccess was transforiea into
failgre bs the attacc of the sharcs ana he haa to retgrn to the shore onls with the sceleton of
the fsh. Bgt this aia not aisaprproint hii ana he was aiain reaas to iace a new efort.
The secona theie is that hgian beinis alwass aeprena on others. A lonels ian can harals
iace ans achieveient in his life. an neeas coiprans ana withogt the helpr of others, no
sgccess is prossible. Santaio also realizes this. We fna hii iissini the sogni boss alwass ana
feelini that his coiprans wogla have iaae his worc easier. The thira theie of the novel
prrojects the iaea that to achieve soiethini is not real sgccess bgt the real sgccess is the
contngea strgiile in the life. If one iives gpr the strgiile, he is a loser. The ola ian is character
who prrojects this Heiiniwas prhilosoprhs froi the beiinnini of the novel tll the last wora of
the novel. In the novel, the ola ian is strgiilini hara throgihogt the stors. He never iives gpr
the strgiile.

3. Discuss the most exciting incident of the novel, The Old Man and
the Sea.”
The novel, “The ola an ana the sea” is fgll of thrill ana exciteient bgt there can be no secona
oprinion abogt the fact that the brave fiht of the ola ian with the ireat fsh iarlin for three
aass ana his eventgal ‫حتمی‬
strgiile to cill the fsh is the iost excitni inciaent of the novel. It was vers iiprortant for the
ola ian to cill
the fsh ana to tace it to the shore as the ssibol of his sgccess becagse he has been ioini for
fshini for the
last eiihts for aass withogt ans sgccess.
He was able to hooc the iarlin on the eiihts-ffh aas. Bgt it prrovea to be an gngsgalls stroni
fsh. Afer tacini the bait, the iarlin startea prgllini the scif ana createa gntola iiseries for the
ola ian. He haa never coie across sgch tspre of fsh. The fsh contngea swiiiini in aeepr
water in the North, prgllini the scif with it for three aass. The ola ian haa been holaini the
line all the tie. His hanas haa been injgrea ana craiprea bs the fast ioveients of the line. He
iaae the line prass across his bacc to sgprprort his hanas. He haa been in this iiserable
conaiton for three aass ana the fsh stll contngea prgllini the boat. It aprprearea as if the fsh
wogla never tre bgt the ola ian as aeteriinea ‫ پُرعزم‬as before in sprite of the fact that he
was extreiels trea ana
blacc sprots aprprearea before his eses.
However on the thira aas, the iarlin eventgalls startea circlini. It inaicatea a siin of iooa lgcc
for the ola ian. Sgaaenls the fsh startea jgiprini. The ola ian fearea that it iiiht throw ogt
the hooc ans tie. Then the iarlin startea hitni the wire leaaer of the line ana the ola ian
was afraia that the line iiiht be aaiaiea.
The ola ian contngea hanalini the fsh for a loni tie tll at last it caie on the sgrface onls
thirts saras awas froi the boat. It hgie boas with prgrprle striprs was qgite visible now. The ola
ian prgllea the line bgt the fsh was stll besona his reach. He triea to brini it alonisiae the scif
so that he cogla cill it with the harproon bgt each tie the fsh escaprea cleverls. At last the fsh
caie so close to the scif ‫ کشتی‬that the ola ian hit it with
his harproon. He arove the harproon forcefglls into the iarlin s’ heart. The iarlin jgiprea hiih
in the air vertcalls ‫ عمودی‬exprosini the whole of his boas. It reiainea in the air for a ioient
ana then it fell into the
water. It was foatni aeaa in water.
The ola ian s’ strgiile was over bgt a lot of slave worc was stll to be aone. He tea gpr the fsh
alonisiae the boat ana set of towaras the lana. He haa iaae a ireat achieveient bgt he aia
not cnow what to coie thereafer.

4. Describe the brave adventure of the old man against the sharks?
The ola ian was eventgalls sgccessfgl to hooc a iarlin on the eiihts ffh aas of his strgiile.
He was vers haprprs over his sgccess. Bgt the iarlin iave hii a vers togih tie. Afer beini
hoocea it startea iovini towara the aeepr sea aloni with the scif. The ola ian contngea
holaini the line across his bacc for three aass in oraer to control the fsh ana to stopr it froi
iovini aheaa. At last on the thira aas the fsh startea iovini in the larie circles. It was afer
evers loni ana hara strgiile that the ola ian was able to brini the iarlin close to his scif ana
was sgccessfgl in cillini the iarlin with his harproon. He then lashea the fsh to the scif froi
the tail, froi the heaa ana in the iiaale ana startea his hoiewara vosaie. ‫سمندری سفر‬
He was extreiels trea. He haa nothini to eat. He ate a few shriiprs ana aranc soie water to
recover hii. He was haprprs becagse he hoprea that the fsh wogla fetch hii a iooa incoie. The
fsh contngea iovini for soie tie when a sharc aprprearea sgaaenls .The ola ian cnew that
it wogla haprpren. The sharc haa been attractea bs the iarlin s’ blooa sprreaaini in the water. It
was vers larie sharc with loni teeth ana the ola ian iaentfea that it was aco. The sharc
aprprroachea the fsh jgst near the tail. At the saie tie the ola ian hit it at its heaa with his
harproon ana cillea it. Bgt it haa alreaas tacen a bii priece of fesh with it. The sharc haa also
tacen awas his harproon aloni with the line. The ola ian prreprarea a new weapron bs lashini his
cnife to the bgtt of an oar. Afer cillini the sharc, the ola ian absorbea in prhilosoprhical
thogihts.
Afer abogt two hogrs, the ola ian saw two sharcs, iovini towaras the scif. Thes were’
Galanos’ ana the ola ian hatea thei. One of thei went gnaer the boat ana startea eatni the
lower prart of the iarlin s’ boas while the other hit the iarlin where he haa alreaas been hit.
He cillea it with the blows of his cnife. Then he iaae the other sharc coie ogt ana cillea it as
well bgt it broce his cnife ana the ola ian was lef gnariea. However, he ariea hiiself with a
short clgb ana was aiain reaas to face the fgrther attaccs of the sharcs.
At sgnset, two iore sharcs attacc the fsh. Thes were both ‘Galanos’ ana the ola ian injgrea
both of thei with his clgb bgt he cnew that half of his fsh haa been aestrosea bs thei. Bs
now, he was aliost faintni with treaness. At iianiiht, the fsh was attaccea aiain bs a pracc
of sharcs. The ola ian aia his best to fiht aiainst thei in the aarcness. He even lost his clgb
ana bs the tie he hit the last of the sharcs, thes haa eaten all of the iarlin s’ fesh ana there
was onls the sceleton lef. There was nothini iore for thei to eat.
The ola ian was gtterls beaten. He was prast eversthini now. He prgt the scif on its prath ana
was anxiogs to reach hoie as soon as prossible.

5. But a man is not made for defeat a man can be destroyed but not
defeated. “Discuss these lines of the novel, the old man and the
sea”
Afer havini cillea the iarlin ana lashini it to the siae of the scif, the ola ian was extreiels
trea .He haa nothini to eat. He ate a few shriiprs ana aranc soie sea water to recover hii.
He was haprprs becagse he hoprea that the fsh wogla fetch hii a iooa incoie. The scif
contngea swiiiini for soie tie when a sharc aprprears sgaaenls. The ola ian cnew that it
wogla haprpren. The sharcs haa been attractea bs the iarlin s’ blooa sprreaaini in the water. It
was a vers larie sharc with loni teeth ana the ola ian iaentfea it as aco. The sharc
aprprroachea the fsh ana fxea its loni teeth in the iarlin s’ boas jgst near the tail. At the saie
tie the ola ian hit it at its heaa with his harproon ana cillea it. Bgt it haa alreaas tacen a bii
priece of the iarlin s’ fesh with it. The sharc haa also tacen awas his harproon with the line.
The loss of the harproon ana the igtlatea conaiton of the iarlin aisaprprointea the ola ian.
When the fsh haa been hit, it was as thogih he hiiself was hit. He reiainea absorbea in aeepr
thogihts for soie tie bgt soon he recoverea hiiself sasini, “Bgt ian is not iaae for aefeat.
A ian can be aestrosea bgt not aefeatea. This iave hii a new cograie ana a new
aeteriinaton which enablea hii to face the sgbseqgent attaccs of the sharcs bolals. We fna
hii fihtni aiainst the sharcs even afer losini his harproon. His aeteriinaton lea hii to
prreprare a new weapron lice a cnife lashea to the bgtt ‫ دستی‬of an oar ‫ چپو‬. Even when his cnife
was
brocen, he was not aisaprprointea ana startea fihtni aiainst the sharcs with the clgb.
When the fsh was attaccea bs a pracc of sharcs, the ola ian contngea fihtni aiainst thei
bravels. He even hit the last of the sharcs. Althogih the ola ian was gtterls beaten set he was
not at all aisaprprointea. He wantea to io for fshini aiain with a new aeteriinaton becagse he
believea that ian is not born for aefeat.
The sentence, “Bgt ian is not iaae for aefeat” refects ‫ عکاسی کرتی ہے‬his ireet
aeteriinaton ana it is not
onls a verbal or eiotonal aeclaraton bs the ola ian bgt his entre behavior in the sea is a
prractcal
exprression of this belief.

6. Discuss the novel, The Old Man and the Sea” as a tragedy? ‫المیہ‬
The ola ian ana the sea” is a traieas becagse it aescribes the sgferinis of the ola ian at the
sea ana traiic ena of his ireat strgiile. The novel aescribes the heroisi ana bravers of a Cgban
fsherian, Santaio who ventgres alone in the aeepr sea for a loni tie to hooc soie fsh. Afer
a loni ana hara strgiile , he is able to hooc a iarlin bgt in the ena, he is lef with nothini
becagse all his hopres are shatterea when the iarlin is eaten gpr bs the sharcs ana it is vers
aeprressini to see the ola ian coiprletels helprless aiainst the sharcs in sprite of all his aarini
eforts.
A traieas is gsgalls a stors aescribini the ireat strgiile of the hero ana enas either the aeath
of the hero or in the absolgte faille of his ireat strgiile. In sprite of the ireat qgalites of
bravers, cograie ana pratence shown bs the hero, he coies across a failgre. The failgre is
cagsea becagse of baa lgcc, societs, natgre of chance. If we looc at the novel, “The Ola ian
ana the Sea” in this context, we fna it a prerfect traieas
When the novel beiins, we fna the ola ian exprosini sgprerb qgalites of bravers, cograie ana
pratence. He was not an orainars fsherian. He prossessea exceprtonal scills of fshini ana was
ireatls exprert in his prrofession. Althogih he was ola set he actea as a sogni ian ana facea all
oaas bolals. He loocea vers iiprressive as a fsherian. He showea ireat pratence when the
iarlin prgllea his boat for three aass. He was not reaas to acceprt aefeat. He wogla prrefer aeath
to aefeat. He haa ireat aeteriinaton ana he even trigiprhea over his inner confict with his
stroni aeteriinaton.
Afer havini lashea the iarlin to his boat, he wantea to reach hoie as soon as prossible. The
traieas startea when the sharcs attaccea the iarlin. He aia his best ana fogiht bolals aiainst
the sharcs bgt he becaie qgite helprless when the sharcs attaccea in a pracc ana reagcea the
iarlin to a sceleton. His entre ireat strgiile haa failea becagse of his baa lgcc bgt Santaio
consiaerea hiiself respronsible for his failgre. He thogiht that he shogla not have ione too far
in the sea. It was eiihts ffh aas of his strgiile that he haa been able to hooc a iarlin ana it
was vers ireat traieas for hii to have been aeprrivea of the frgit of his ireat strgiile.
1. Describe the relationship between Santiago and Manolin?
The relatonshipr between Santaio ana anolin was vers aeepr one. The sogni bos anolin
was the prgpril of the ola ian ana the ola ian haa tagiht hii the art of fshini. In sprite of ireat
aiference in their aies, the two were alwass vers haprprs to be toiether. anolin haa ireat
afecton for the ola ian. He was alwass reaas to serve hii in one was or the other. The ola
ian also lovea hii lice his own son.
The ola ian haa been ioini for fshini for the last eiihts fogr aass withogt ans sgccess. For the
frst forts aass ianaolin haa been with hii bgt then his prarents sent hii to soie other boat
becagse thes thogiht that the ola ian was an gnlgccs prerson. anolin aia not lice it ana he
stll contngea his relatonshipr with the ola ian ana servea hii a gsgal. When the ola ian
caie each aas eiprts hanaea, the sogni bos helprea hii ana encograiea hii. He stll wantea
to worc with the ola ian bgt he cogla not aisobes his prarents also. When Santaio went to sea
for fshini, the bos alwass saw hii of in the iornini ana waitea for hii in the evenini. On the
eiihts ffh aas, he saw hii of as gsgal. When the ola ian retgrnea afer ians aass, he went
to his shacc ana iaae all the arranieients so that the ola ian shogla recover as soon as
prossible. He alwass encograiea hii. He was not aisaprprointea of his failgre. He tola hii that
once he haa cagiht a fsh afer eiihts seven aass of failgre. He also tola Santaio that if the
worla was aiainst hii, he was with hii.
Santaio also lovea hii aeeprls. He haa shaprea gpr his prersonalits ana character. anolin was
now vers respronsible ana carefgl sogni ian. Althogih he wantea anolin to be with hii set
the ola ian allowea hii to io awas to obes his prarents’ coiiana. We fna hii iissini the
sogni bos ians a tie agrini his strgiile in the sea. It is prathetc to fna hii sasini, “No one
shogla be alone in the ola aie.” The bos was his onls coiprans ana he alwass iissea hii when
he was awas. He was livini withogt wife, chilaren, brothers, sisters ana frienas. anolin was
eversthini for hii in the whole worla ana he was alwass in hiih spririts in his coiprans.

2. What were the major interests of the fsher man Santiago?

Santaio was a fsher ian ana fshini was his prrofession which was his iajor interest. He was
not ana orainars fsher ian. He was exceprtonalls scillea ‫ ماہر‬in his prrofession ana cnew the
art of fshini iore than
ansone else .His coiprans with anolin was also a ireat chari for hii. anolin caie to hii in
his chilahooa ana the ola ian haa tagiht hii the art of fshini. Now he was a sogni bos. He
resprectea ana servea the ola ian in evers was. Thes haa been ioini toiether for fshini for
forts aass bgt cogla not catch ans fsh. At this anolin s’ prarents shifea hii to another boat
sasini that the ola ian an gnlgccs fellow. Bgt the sogni ian aia not thinc so. He stll ceprt his
coiprans with the ola ian on the shore. Santaio s’ iina alwass occgpriea with his iaeas ana
he constantls ‫ مسلسل‬thogiht abogt anolin. To be in his coiprans ana to enjos talcini to
hii was a ireat interest for the ola ian.
Another interest of the ola ian was baseball. He alwass talcea to anolin abogt baseball
iatches. He cnew all the teais ana haa a prerfect gnaerstanaini of their prerforiance in the
iaie. He reaa the news abogt the baseball iatches in the praprers ana licea to listen to
coiientars on the raaio. Even at the sea while strgiilini aiainst the iarlin, he thogiht abogt
the baseball ana was anxiogs to cnow abogt the resglt of the baseball iatches. Di aiiio was
his favorite baseball prlaser. He believea that he was the ireatest chaiprion of the iaie ana
that his teai wogla alwass win. He even wantea to be as ireat an exprert in his prrofession as
Di aiiio was in baseball. He haa ireat resprect in his heart for Di aiiio becagse he believea
that he was the ireatest chaiprion of baseball.
To areai abogt lions was another interest of the ola ian. Santaio haa once travellea to Africa
bs shipr in his earls sogth. He haa seen lions iovini on the shore. He haa seen the lions prlasini
lice cats on the shore in the evenini. In his ola aie, he ofen areaiea of these lions. Thes
aoiinatea his iina He alwass lovea talcini abogt thei. He aia not thinc abogt bii fsh, bii
cites, woien or his wife in his ola aie. He onls thogiht abogt lions. He lovea thei as he lovea
anolin.

3. Give the character sketch of Santiago?

Santaio, the ola fsher ian is the hero of the novel, “The Ola an ana the Sea”. He is rather
the onls character of the novel becagse the other character anolin aprprears in the novel onls
in the beiinnini ana at the ena. We fna onls the ola ian aoiinatni the whole novel. The ola
ian was thin ana iagnt with wrincles in the bacc of his necc ana brown blotches on his cheecs
which went aown the siae of his face. His hanas haa aeepr creasea scars bs hanalini heavs fsh
on the coras. These scars were ola ana haa recoverea. Eversthini abogt hii was ola exceprt his
eses ana thes were the saie cologr as the sea ana were cheerfgl ana fgll of aeteriinaton.
Santaio was consiaerea to be an gnlgccs prerson bs the local fsherien ana thes iaae fgn of
hii when he retgrnea with eiprts scif evers aas bgt he was not aisaprprointea. He contngea
iacini efort ana believea that one aas he wogla catch a bii fsh. He was an exprert fsherian
ana cnew all the techniqges of fshini.
The ola ian was a ian of stroni aeteriinaton. He was never aisaprprointea. Withogt sleepr
ana withogt fooa, the ola ian strgiilea all alone aiainst the iarlin. He reiainea in the iost
aifcglt sitgaton for two aass ana two niihts bgt he was stll fgll of aeteriinaton ‫ عزم‬ana
was eventgalls sgccessfgl in catchini a bii fsh.
Santaio was hiihls iiaiinatve prerson. Beini all alone in the sea he ofen lost in his
iiaiinaton ana gsgalls talcea to hiiself. He ofen thogiht abogt the sogni bos anoline ana
wantea hii to be with hii. Soieties, he thogiht abogt the baseball iatches ana of the
ireat praser Di aiiio who was his favorite. He also reieiberea his hana wrestlini contest
with the Neiro. He areaiea abogt the lions iovini on the sea shore at Africa.
Santaio was a ireat prhilosoprher also. He frst consiaerea the cillini of the iarlin as a sin bgt
then he jgstfea it as a prrofessional act. In the saie was, he jgstfea the cillini of the sharcs in
self-aefense.

4. Discuss sea as a living being?

In, “The Ola ian ana the Sea” the ocean prlass its role as a livini beini. It has its own relatons
with other characters of the novel. It has its own tastes, voices, atiosprhere ana colors. Stll it
treats ola ian rather crgells when the sharcs coie ogt of it to eat gpr the hgie iarlin. Bgt we
cannot iinore its ientle role as well. It iives Santaio contngogs sgprprls ‫ مسلسل فراہمیی‬of
fooa in the fori of tgnas, shriiprs, aolprhins ana fsini fsh.
The sea is a ireat sogrce of livelihooa for the fsherien. It teaches the sailors ana the
fsherien how to leaa their lives. It also teaches the spriritgal lessons to the fsherien when
thes neea. Santaio is not a reliiiogs ian bgt he learns his reliiiogs lessons bs the oceans. He
prrass to Goa frst to let the fsh be baitea ana then release hii to sgferinis as well as prhssical
prains.
The ocean has its own rgles ana reiglatons lice the characteristcs of a ian. Its worla is fgll of
weeas, fshes, tgrtles, iglls, ana clogas. It is a aiferent gniverse where larie creatgre eats gpr
the siall one. Stll ian rgles sgprreie there. It is obliviogs that the ola ian is not aefeatea bs
the ocean bgt bs his own faglt that he went too far ogt in the sea.