NON-AFRICAN PROSE ERNEST HEMINGWAY: The Old Man and The Sea Examine the character of Manolin.

Answer Details

Manolin, the boy in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, is a minor character in terms of stage-time yet central to the novel's emotional and moral life. He is the young apprentice fisherman who loves and serves the old man, Santiago, and through him Hemingway develops the themes of loyalty, love and the passing of skill between generations.

Devotion and loyalty. Manolin's defining quality is faithful love for Santiago. Though his parents force him to leave the old man's boat after forty days without a catch, calling Santiago salao (the worst form of unlucky), the boy's heart never deserts him. He continues to help carry the gear, brings the old man food and coffee, and grieves for him. His loyalty is a rebuke to the fickle judgment of the village.

A source of comfort and hope. Manolin gives Santiago companionship and dignity in his poverty and old age. Their conversations about baseball and the great DiMaggio, and Santiago's repeated wish during his ordeal, "I wish the boy were here," show how much the old man depends on him emotionally. The boy keeps loneliness at bay and gives Santiago someone to teach and to live for.

The disciple and inheritor. Manolin represents continuity. Santiago has taught him to fish, and the boy honours that teacher-pupil bond. At the novel's close, when he weeps over Santiago's ruined hands and resolves to fish with him again regardless of his parents, Manolin becomes the guarantee that the old man's skill, courage and code will not die with him.

Contrast with the community. Where the other fishermen mock or pity Santiago, Manolin admires and believes in him. He thus embodies genuine respect against communal shallowness.

Significance. Manolin softens the novel's harsh vision of struggle and defeat. His unwavering love proves that Santiago, though beaten by the sea, is not alone and not truly destroyed. He is the human warmth at the heart of a story otherwise set against the vast indifference of the ocean.