supplies, and plans to "get him another shirt and a jacket for the winter and some sort of shoes and another blanket".

Santiago and Manolin enjoy each others' company, and share a mutual respect.  Their relationship is based on love, and they look out for each other like a father and a son, Santiago having taught the boy his trade when he was young, and Manolin looking after Santiago now that he is old.

Hemingway creates a very powerful, poignant relationship between the old man, Santiago, and the young boy, Manolin. At the onset of the novel, even though the entire town has turned against Santiago, because he is salao, truly unlucky,Manolin still cares and believes in Santiago. The young boy can no longer fish with the old man;his parents forbid it. However, by the end of the novel, Manolin makes his own decision to fish with Santiago.Santiago undergoes the trial with the marlin, nearly losing himself, his soul, when the fish is torn apart by sharks for no reason at all. Manolin cares for Santiago upon his return to the village.Santiago sees youth in Manolin, a young boy who is not scarred by the world as he is;Manolin is the hope for a new day, necessary to the Hemingway code hero.

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!

Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Seatells the story of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, and his battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf of Mexico. Santiago (the old man) serves as a mentor to Manolin (the boy), who aspires to become a fisherman. Manolin once worked full-time as Santiago's apprentice but his parents compel him to work with more successful fisherman. Nonetheless, Manolin visits Santiago every single night to take care of and haul his fishing gear, cook him meals and exchange stories. Manolin's dedication to Santiago, who has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish when the story begins, suggests that their relationship goes beyond the bounds of master/apprentice or teacher/student. Manolin clearly looks up to Santiago in the way that a son does to his father. For Santiago, who lives a very solitary life, his interactions with Manolin may be the closest thing he has to family. Santiago and Manolin bond over their love of baseball and the tenacity of Joe DiMaggio, much like a father and son would. By the end of the novel they promise each other that they will go out to sea and fish together again.

Santiago and Manolin share a mentor/mentee relationship.

Mandolin is Santiago's former apprentice, not his son. He used to work under Santiago, but Manolin's father made him stop and go work for someone else who was more successful because Santiago was having such a long streak without catching anything. Manolin continues to visit Santiago, however. He brings him food and even bait. It is obvious that Manolin cares for Santiago much like a father or even grandfather, and is doing his best to help the old man get by during his dry spell. 

Many of the lessons that Santiago imparts to Manolin are the types of lessons a father would share. They also share activities like a father and son, such as fishing and talking about baseball. Although we do not know Manolin's father, one cannot help but wonder if Manolin isn't closer to Santiago than his own father.

I think that you could probably go two different directions with this answer. A common answer is to describe the relationship between Santiago and the marlin as a respectful relationship between two equally strong opponents. The man and the fish are not necessarily enemies of each other, but the fish is definitely in a battle for its life, and it generally wins those fights as evidenced by the additional hooks found on it. Santiago is a fisherman, and he has great respect for the sea and the animals found within it. When the battle is over, Santiago is both relieved and saddened, and readers see just how respectful Santiago is when he can't protect his catch from the greedy sharks.

The other way to describe the relationship is to go toward the direction of saying that the fish is nothing more than something he needs to obtain to continue his existence. This is a cold relationship and quite an existential relationship. Santiago is a fisherman; therefore, his existence is defined by his relationship with and dependence on the sea. Catching fish allows him to live and gives him happiness. The fish then becomes a means to an end. He has gone for months without a catch, and bringing home this super fish will likely grant him renewed feelings of youth and vigor as well as money to feed himself with.

When the old man, Santiago, first encounters the fish, he is weary and cynical, having been unlucky in his fishing for so long that his apprentice's parents have forbidden the latter to sail with him. When he first hooks the enormous marlin, his feelings are that of excitement that his luck has finally turned. It is this excitement that keeps him pushing through for the next two days of struggle with the great fish. While Santiago is fighting to bring the fish in, he begins to think of it with the utmost respect, admiring its tenacity and endurance. He even begins to think of the fish as kindred and as too mighty to ever be eaten by any man. It is perhaps this feeling more so than Santiago's dashed dreams of fortune that makes the ending of the story most tragic for him.

The relationship between the old man and the fish is one of respect and dignity. The old man reveres the fish constantly talking to him and asking what he's got next for him. He is awed by his size and by the fact that he keeps going and trying to escape. That's why he's so upset once the battle is finally over. He knows he's beaten this fish and he would like to bring him in with dignity and respect. When the sharks start to get after him, he knows that he's done a disservice to the fish by not being able to get him in and save his body from the sharks. You can also support this idea by talking about the point when the fish launches and the old man mentions that their eyes meet. The fish is impressed with the old man's ability to hang on, something others have not been able to do, as evidenced by the number of hooks hanging from the side of his mouth when the battle is finally over.

If you need detailed quotes, there is a link below to detailed passages.

Manolin and Santiago have a loving, mutually respectful relationship. Manolin, the boy, has fished with Santiago since he was five years old. Santiago taught him everything and more about fishing, and allowed him a level of independence that other fishermen did not give to their younger colleagues. Santiago and Manolin share a mentor-student relationship, with deep elements of friendship. As time goes on, and Santiago becomes more dependent, Manolin helps provide for him by bringing him food and bait for fishing. Most importantly, Manolin is sensitive to Santiago's pride and his need to pretend nothing has changed. For instance, every day they both pretend that Santiago has food, and that things are the way they were before by going through the following routine:

“What do you have to eat?” the boy asked. “A pot of yellow rice with fish. Do you want some?” “No. I will eat at home. Do you want me to make the fire?” “No. I will make it later on. Or I may eat the rice cold.” “May I take the cast net?” “Of course.” There was no cast net and the boy remembered when they had sold it. But they went through this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too.

Major elements of their relationship are their love for each other, their mutual interests (fishing and baseball), their mutual support, and shared history.