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As the old man sails further and further out to the mysterious sea, the climax of the chronological story approaches closer and closer. When the sea appears so tranquil and peaceful that it almost forces the old man to taste the bitterness of absolute solitude, the string shakes--a sign that the old man has been waiting for 84 days. The gigantic fish rises over the surface, boasting its humungous size, and marks the beginning of the conflict: the conflict that would last for days. Yet, with the old man’s persistent effort to fight the strong, big fish, the man finally tastes the sweet victory. Unfortunately, the sweetness proves to be transient, because the dead fish’s flesh does not survive the constant shark attacks.

The settings of //The Old Man and the Sea// by Ernest Hemingway are full of irony. The sea is personified as feminine figure to represent its beauty, but it also has its sharp blades--the cruel vastness and unpredictability of its nature. Moreover, when settings change, each character’s role changes as well. For example, in the wild ocean, Santiago (the old man) serves as the tutor of his young pupil, Manolin. Yet, once they arrive on the shore (in other words on land,) the interesting inversion occurs. At the land, Manonlin, the young boy, takes care of the old man, and almost presents himself as a father-figure despite his young age. The old man is definitely a dynamic, round character. The audience get to witness the man along the lonely journey out to the ocean, and this seemingly weak, old man completely overturn our biases. On the other hand, the young boy Manolin is a flat, static character whose characteristics remain rather unchanged. He is a archetypal, nice boy who listens to his father and shows respect toward elders.