Santiago
Santiago, whose name is mentioned only several times, is an old skillful fisherman who had seen much better days. It is not his fault that he is now alone and seemingly had lost his luck. He stubbornly tries to catch a big fish that he would be able to sell, so tunas and dolphins are not enough for him. The old man is not educated but possess a philosophy of a sort, so he envisions the big fish as his brother, unable to find words for the “predator-prey” cycle, but understanding it perfectly. He manages to use his skills and nature’s gifts with maximum ability, he is a fighter, capable to accept the inevitable with dignity.
And even while the author hints at his upcoming death (note those black spots in front of his eyes, the cramping of his left hand and, what is the most alarming, the pain in his chest and coppery, i.e. bloody taste in his mouth), Santiago behaves as a man who needs only a good rest and some time to recover; his dignity does not allow him to be weak. His epic battle with the marlin and the subsequent victory would rejoice any fisherman, for this catch would bring a fair amount of money, but for old Santiago who thinks about himself as the one who was born for this craft, it is even more important, because his reputation and dignity is now restored; he is not unlucky anymore.
Manolin
Manolin or “the boy”, as he is referred in the novel, is a teenage apprentice of old Santiago. He had been fishing with the old man since he was five, but at the novel’s timeline is working for another fisherman, because his parents consider Santiago to be unlucky and forbid the boy to fish with the old man. Manolin is upset, because he loves the old man and sees his as a wise and experienced tutor. He is eager to learn everything that the old man is able to teach him.
In case if the reader had missed this in scenes of their conversations, the boy’s efforts to feed the old man and care for him, even boy’s tears when he sees the condition of Santiago, sleeping in his shack, Hemingway depicts a short but iconic scene where Santiago offers the marlin’s sword for boy to keep. This looks and sounds in almost medieval fashion: an old master handing over a symbol of his mastership and wisdom to a young apprentice and heir.
Relations between Manolin and Santiago work on several levels: young – old, hope – despair, apprentice – master and, of course, son – father, because the old man is a childless widower and the boy is his only companion at the dusk of his long life. It is Manolin (diminutive of Manuel, the Redeemer), who does not allow Santiago to feel himself “unlucky”, even when sharks had robbed the old man of his victory.
Marlin
Of course, the great marlin is not a mere fish and shark food. It is an enemy, worthy of Santiago’s steel, proverbially and literary. Santiago acknowledges this by his admiration and respect to the huge, strong and beautiful sea creature. To him this marlin is like a dragon for a knight, this parallel is clearly visible in setting and style of Hemingway’s narration, simple, direct and beautiful as a crude but colorful stained-glass window can be.
It is the prize, and while Santiago considers it as a catch that can feed him for a long time, he also understands that this huge marlin is his luck, a glorious and full-blooded evidence of his excellent skill in a work he was born to do. Sharks take its material value, but the measuring of skeleton shows that this fish was 18 feet long, it is the largest fish the villagers had ever seen; so, while Santiago would not receive any money for his epic battle, his staggering endurance and wounds, the restored dignity and reputation are his now forever.