Themes: Material Poverty vs. Spiritual Enrichment
Hemingway steers clear of a sentimental conclusion where Santiago comes back with the whole fish and sells it for a fortune. Instead, the elderly fisherman, although lacking in material wealth, returns to the harbor with only the marlin's skeleton. He doesn't earn any money, but he receives a much more significant reward. Instead of merely defeating nature, he has, with great dignity and humility, formed a deep connection with it.
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