In these pages, Santiago hooks his first fish in eighty-five days. He starts off the day as usual when he goes to wake the boy. The boy helps him prepare his boat, and the old man sails away. The old man decides that he will go out really far today; farther than all the other boats. When he has chosen his spot, he drops down several lines at varying depths. It is obvious that the old man knows what he is doing and takes pride in his work. Even though it would be easier to let his lines drift, he keeps them steady and straight.
He spots a bird that eats fish circling above the water and follows it. He catches an albacore fish and sets it aside as bait that he could sell in town. Not long after that, he hooks another fish on his line. He can feel that it is a big fish. The fish gets hooked and starts to swim away, towing the boat with it. The fish keeps swimming and dragging Santiago along with him for many hours. The night passes, and the old man wishes that he had the boy to help him and keep him company so he wouldn't have to talk to himself.
During the night, the old man realizes that he and the fish are quite similar. They are both old and lonely, and they will not give up their struggle until they die. Personally, I kind of want the fish to win. It would be a sad and poetic ending, and it would be nice to see nature beat the humans for once. So, Go Fish! Besides, if the old man dies, he won't have to be lonely anymore.
My favorite part of the pages I read this time is when Santiago is floating on the sea waiting for his fish to bite. He sees the Portuguese Man-of-War floating next to him. He describes its deadly beauty, then calls it a whore. I thought it was funny to see cool, caring Santiago insult the passing sealife.
I also liked when Santiago thinks about a pair of marlin he once caught. The female got hooked by the old man first, but the male stayed and circled the boat, jumping out of the water so he could find the female marlin. I thought that memory was sweet and added a nice touch.
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