Abstract:"The Old Man and the Sea" is a classic work of the famous American novelist Ernest Hemingway in his later years, which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954 .By describing details, Hemingway vividly portrays an experienced fisherman--Santiago with succinct and efficient words and sentences. Although Manolin is presented only in the beginning and at the end of the novella, his presence is important because the old man thinks of him several times when he is fighting hard with the big marlin. In this article it aims at analyzing the boy' s role in the novella through his words and deeds.