An old man named Santiago has been fishing for 84 days and has not caught a fish. He is fishing alone when he comes upon a huge marlin and rushes to hook him. He succeeds, but the marlin is too strong for him to pull up--he must wait until he loses strength. Will Santiago pursue the fish or give up? A wonderful book of morality, focusing on a few of Hemingway's universal themes--courage in the face of death, compassion for others, and respect for nature. I loved the Biblical references that were in the book--the cuts in the old man's left hand, the blood running down his face. The Old Man and the Sea is very rich with figurative language such as "flag of permanent defeat"