Summary of The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea is a novella by Ernest Hemingway about an elderly Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his epic struggle to catch a giant marlin. After going eighty-four days without catching a fish, Santiago sets out to sea, where he hooks a giant marlin. After a long battle, Santiago manages to land it, but then must fight to protect his prize from sharks. In the end, Santiago returns to shore with only a skeleton of the marlin, but he has earned the respect of the community and his own sense of pride.