First Impression: Santiago

My first impression of Santiago was that he was a kind, gentle old man. In the beginning of The Old Man and the Sea, it seemed like he would never hurt a fly, even though he was a fisherman. I really liked how he treated the boy, Manolin, like his own son. I think Santiago refused to let Manolin join him on his next fishing trip out to sea for a couple reasons. The first reason was that Santiago did not want Manolin to get pulled into his horrible luck at sea. He preferred Manolin to prosper on a different boat rather than keep him company on Santiago’s own small one. I also think Santiago might have felt intimidated by Manolin’s parents because of their hatred towards Santiago and his bad luck with catching fish. The second reason I though Santiago did not want Manolin with him was because of Santiago’s pride. I think he felt that if he gave in to Manolin’s request to help him at sea, it would make him seem like more of a coward. I think he prided himself on being an old, weathered fisherman who did things on his own. Although he never caught any fish and made no money, he was still out at sea almost every day waiting patiently for his luck to turn. Santiago appeared to be a genuine, caring old man who was just trying to make a living on his own. Santiago’s soft, appreciative side made itself known though when Martin, a local café owner, gave him a meal on the house. Santiago’s reaction to Martin’ kind gesture proved that he would accept help if it was given to him with good intentions. I think if Manolin had continued to insist on going out to sea with Santiago the next day, Santiago would have eventually given in. Santiago was extremely stubborn and proud on the outside, but I think on the inside he was a caring individual who appreciated whatever help was given to him.