The Old Man and the Sea: Santiago in the End

There is a quote at the end of the novel The Old Man and the Sea that I think really describes Santiago’s final mentality and emotions exactly. It is, “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.” This quote comes in after Santiago has ended his struggle with the great marlin, and he is now asleep, or maybe he is passed out, in his shack. Basically, it means that Santiago has not necessarily given up, but he is finally at rest physically and mentally. He is not thinking anymore about fighting the marlin, the storms, nor even the Negro of Cienfuegos, but he is simply at rest. It almost seems like he dies because Hemingway puts him in a "better place" with playful lions, which he loved dearly. I think it is sort of an odd ending because the reader does not exactly know for sure if Santiago dies shortly after the novel is over, but I assume he is just sleeping for a long period of time after his long battle. After this long, hibernation-like sleep, I think Santiago will be renewed and prepared to go fish once for with his beloved Manolin. However, Santiago dreamt of these same lions on the same beach the night before he left for his fishing expedition. I think that not only does this quote vividly describe Santiago, but it sort of ties up all the loose ends of the novel. For example, when Santiago returns with the fish carcass, the boy, Manolin, helps Santiago in, but it never says anything more about him. This quote lets the reader know that Manolin and Santiago will be good friends and partners for many years to come.