Day Two Summary

As day two begins, the first thing that happens is the old man getting up to use the bathroom. Then he wakes up the boy, who's name (which is really Manolin) is finally acknowledged by the old man. However, his is still referred to as 'the boy' in the text and only referred to by name by the old man.

Their day begins with the two of them carrying the old man's 'stuff' (boat gear) out. The old man then has a cup of coffee, knowing that he probably will not eat for the rest of the day because of his misfortune. The old man and the boy are up so early that the moon is still up in the sky. The man finally gets out to his skiff and starts to row out, taking in the sights and sounds and smells around him in his environment. The old man likes to watch the flying fish, as well as the birds who are constantly 'looking but never finding', which I'm guessing the old man can easily relate to. The old man sees the birds as the only creatures that are worse off than he is.


The old man knows how cruel the ocean is, yet he continues to press on. He rows all the way out to sea and uses sardines as his bait, hoping that today will be the day that he will finally catch a fish. I think that the man is more affected by his situation than his first lets on. The way he acts while he is out to sea is very different. He pretty much tries to relate with several different elements of the sea and uses some forms of personification. He calls man of war jellyfish whores, thinks that birds are stupid, and decides he would much rather catch a no fish at all than a small fish that does not measure up to his standards.


His day progresses much the same as the day before, except for that he finally catches a tuna fish. However, this does not really count because he simply uses the tuna as bait to try and catch a bigger fish. And then finally he starts to get a little luck and a marlin starts to tug on his line. The old man holds the fish hard and tightly, and he is finally getting a little luckier and the reader hopes that the old man will finally have some success.