An adolescent Cuban boy who has fished with Santiago since he was a child, Manolin is Santiago's devoted apprentice. He cares for Santiago in his old age, and encourages him in his fishing even though Manolin's parents have forced Manolin to seek out a "luckier" employer. He is Santiago's only human friend, and looks up to Santiago as a mentor and father-figure. Manolin exemplifies traits of fidelity, selflessness and compassion. He accepts hard work happily, never complaining.
Manolin Quotes in The Old Man and the Sea
The The Old Man and the Sea quotes below are all either spoken by Manolin or refer to Manolin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Day One
Quotes
"There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you."
He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.
Day Five
Quotes
"How much did you suffer?"
"Plenty," the old man said.
"Plenty," the old man said.
Related Characters:
Manolin (speaker)
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
"To hell with luck," the boy said. "I'll bring the luck with me."
Related Characters:
Manolin (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Old Man and the Sea LitChart as a printable PDF.
Manolin Character Timeline in The Old Man and the Sea
The timeline below shows where the character Manolin appears in The Old Man and the Sea. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day One
...gone 84 days without catching a fish. For the first 40 days, a boy named Manolin worked with Santiago. But Manolin's parents forced him to leave Santiago and start working on...
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After Santiago's 84th unsuccessful day, Manolin once again helps him to bring in his skiff and gear. Manolin tells Santiago that...
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Manolin offers to buy Santiago a beer on the Terrace, a restaurant near the docks. The...
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Over their beers, Santiago tells Manolin that he will be fishing far out in the sea the next day. Manolin says...
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After they finish the beer, Manolin helps Santiago carry his equipment up the road to Santiago's sparsely furnished shack. On the...
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After going through the same dinner ritual they follow every night: Santiago offers Manolin some food, which Manolin declines because Santiago doesn't really have any food at all.
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They then sit on the porch and read about baseball in the newspaper. Santiago tells Manolin he will have a good catch the next day, his 85th day without luck, and...
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Manolin leaves to get the sardines he promised Santiago. When he returns, it is dark and...
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Manolin reminds himself to bring Santiago water, soap, and a towel, as well as a new...
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But Manolin wants to talk more about baseball. They talk about Joe DiMaggio, who is Santiago's favorite...
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Manolin breaks in to say that he thinks Santiago is the best fisherman. Santiago humbly disagrees,...
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When Manolin leaves, Santiago wraps himself in the blanket and lies down on the newspapers that cover...
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Day Two
When Santiago wakes the next morning, he goes up the road to Manolin's house to wake him, as he does every morning. Santiago apologizes for disturbing Manolin's sleep,...
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...he will not eat all day because eating has bored him for a long time. Manolin helps Santiago load his boat, and they wish each other luck. As he rows into...
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...wonders when he began talking to himself. He concludes that it must have been when Manolin left, and thinks that if the other fisherman heard him they would think he was...
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When the sun goes down, Santiago wishes Manolin could see his big catch and help him drag the marlin out of the water....
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Santiago remembers when he and Manolin caught a female marlin, one of a pair. She fought desperately, and the entire time...
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Day Three
...and thinks of the cramp as a betrayal by his own body. He wishes that Manolin were there to rub his hand for him.
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...show "what a man can do and what a man endures" and to prove to Manolin that he is indeed a "strange old man."
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Day Four
..."everything kills everything else in some way," but then he reminds himself that it is Manolin who keeps him alive.
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...believes that when darkness falls he will see the glow of Havana. He wonders if Manolin has been worried about him.
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Day Five
Santiago is asleep when Manolin comes to his shack in the morning. Though relieved to see that Santiago is breathing,...
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...skeleton attached to Santiago's skiff. They estimate its length at 18 feet. When they see Manolin, they ask him how Santiago is doing, feeling guilty for all the times they laughed...
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When Santiago wakes up, Manolin is at his side with the coffee. Santiago tells Manolin to give the head of...
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Manolin tells Santiago that the coast guard and search planes looked for him for days. Manolin...
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When Manolin returns to Santiago's shack, Santiago is sleeping, Manolin watches over Santiago as Santiago dreams of...
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