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