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Santiago's change at the end of the novella turns him into almost a universal hero. By being at sea, his ventures were never limited and the events of the story just seemed to happen. After he rebukes himself for his arrogance with the marlin, Santiago goes home and dreams of the lions playing in Africa, signaling a cycle of a child-like rebirth through Manolin.
Throughout the story many aspects can be found about Santiago's personality merely by the content of his 3-day fight with the marlin. The ideology that encompasses the story is only consumed by Santiago's pure will to persevere. Certainly Santiago is a man of many themes and personality traits.
The Old Man and the Sea" is a heroic tale of mans strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the "Old Man and the Sea" strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.
The relationship between the old man and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago's feelings. He even offers to go against his parent's wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore "unlucky". Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend.
Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for their whole lives. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common.