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1. 
   malibrarian Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   The relationship between the boy, Manolin, and the old man, Santiago, is one of caring and friendship. Manolin used to fish with Santiago, but has now been forbidden by his father to go with the old man anymore because of Santiago's recent run of bad luck. Manolin still manages to go see Santiago, though, doing various small jobs for him, bringing him beer at the beginning of the story.

   Manolin even tells Santiago that he will try to get his father to fish near where Santiago is planning to fish, so that when Santiago catches a big one, they can be nearby to come to his aid. This shows another dimension to their relationship - while everyone else in the town has decided that Santiago is bad luck and nothing good will ever happen to him again, Manolin is still convinced of Santiago's greatness as a fisherman and that it is just a matter of time before the bad streak ends. By the same token, Santiago is encouraging and trusting of Manolin, convinced of his worth as a fisherman, even though Manolin's own father doesn't think he's capable of very much.

   The element of respect and trust between these two characters is quite moving to read. Check the links below for more information - Good luck!

    

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/omas/manolin

   http://www.enotes.com/omas/santiago

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   Posted by malibrarian on Thursday January 3, 2008 at 7:00 PM