The Old Man and the Sea starts with a description of an old man, Santiago, a fisherman who spent eighty-four days without any food. Local fishermen had already defined him as "salao," a pathetic loser. Of course, it is offensive for Santiago, who spent all his life at sea and traveled a lot while he was young. He also is an excellent and skilled fisherman; he just did not find a big fish worthy of selling for a long time. At first, a boy, Manolin, was helping him, but after forty days without pay, his parents forbade him to attend to the old man, so now he works with another fisherman. The boy has a kind of affection for Santiago, and they meet in the evening to share some talk and food.
