The Old Man And The Sea Author: Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Location: Cuba and the Gulf Stream. Principal Character. Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman. After more than eighty days of fishing without a catch, the old man's patient devotion to his calling is rewarded. He catches a marlin but reaches the shore again with only a skeleton, worthless except as a symbol of his victory. Manolin, a young Cuban boy devoted to Santiago, with whom he fishes until forbidden by his father after Santiago's continuous failure. He begs or steals to make sure that Santiago does not go hungry. The story For e