Section 2 (pg. 28-41)
Late in the night, Santiago sets into the silent Gulf on his skiff, all by himself. Santiago notices the creatures around him and is familiar with their company. Santiago has a special relationship with the sea and its creatures. He thinks of the sea as a human entity. He notes that younger fishermen think of the sea as el mar, masculine, their enemy.
"But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought." Page 30
Topic Tracking: Fraternalism 1
The old man is determined to capture one big fish. He uses his thorough methodology to place his lines in the water. Other fishermen are not as careful as he is and haphazardly throw their lines into the sea. Santiago, regardless of his bad luck, has never been anything less than precise.
Topic Tracking: Pride 3
The old man talks aloud to himself while he is out alone on the water. He is not worried that others will think he is crazy. In fact, for Santiago, being strange is a way for him to feel special. A bird helps the old man locate a large albacore tuna, which is a straggler from a larger school of fish. He begins to think about baseball, but tries to concentrate on his task: "Now is the time to think of only one thing. That which I was born for." Page 40. He thinks the tuna will lead him to a great fish.
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