moral question

I think it is a parable of the human condition. Santiago wants one last shot at redemption. He wants to feel young again: to feel like he is worth something. He drags his failing body out to sea in search of one last catch. He wants a catch that means something: a catch that defines his life in his last years. This is the essence of the human condition. We all yearn for validation and redemption before our bodies are to weak to get it.