Luck Quotes - Quotes, The Old Man and the Sea | The Old Man and the Sea - Summary, Themes & Characters - Novels PDF Download

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast. The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat. (1.1)

At first, superstition is imposed by others upon the old man.

"No," the old man said. "You’re with a lucky boat. Stay with them." (1.6)

The old man buys into the notion of luck as far as the boy is concerned, so much so as to base his decisions on it.

"If you were my boy I’d take you out and gamble," he said. "But you are your father’s and your mother’s and you are in a lucky boat." (1.28)

The notion of "lucky" vs. "unlucky" contrasts the "old" man and the "boy" further.

"Eighty-five is a lucky number," the old man said. "How would you like to see me bring one in that dressed out over a thousand pounds?" (1.52)

The old man’s prediction does eventually come true – before it goes horribly wrong. Does this confirm or reject his claim that eighty-five is lucky?

"Good luck old man." 

"Good luck," the old man said. (2.18-2.19)

The old man and the boy discuss luck just before Santiago leaves for the day, setting an overtone of superstition for the following events.

But, he thought, I keep them with precision. Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready. (2.29)

Despite his belief in luck, the old man values skill above it.

Then he will turn and swallow it, he thought. He did not say that because he knew that if you said a good thing it might not happen. He knew what a huge fish this was and he thought of him moving away in the darkness with the tuna held crosswise in his mouth. At that moment he felt him stop moving but the weight was still there. Then the weight increased and he gave more line. He tightened the pressure of his thumb and finger for a moment and the weight increased and was going straight down. (2.69)

The old man’s fear of bad luck is more prevalent than his hope in good luck.

Imagine if each day a man must try to kill the moon, he thought. The moon runs away. But imagine if a man each day should have to try to kill the sun? We were born lucky, he thought. (3.107)

The old man sees luck in the natural order of things.

The old man’s head was clear and good now and he was full of resolution but he had little hope. It was too good to last, he thought. He took one look at the great fish as he watched the shark close in. It might as well have been a dream, he thought. I cannot keep him from hitting me but maybe I can get him. Dentuso, he thought. Bad luck to your mother. (4.86)

The old man uses bad luck as his final weapon and last resort.

He lay in the stern and steered and watched for the glow to come in the sky. I have half of him, he thought. Maybe I’ll have the luck to bring the forward half in. I should have some luck. No, he said. You violated your luck when you went too far outside. (4.154)

The old man imposes a system of reward and punishment on his notion of luck.

"Don’t be silly," he said aloud. "And keep awake and steer. You may have much luck yet." 

"I’d like to buy some if there’s any place they sell it," he said. 

What could I buy it with? he asked himself. Could I buy it with a lost harpoon and a broken knife and two bad hands? 

"You might," he said. "You tried to buy it with eighty-four days at sea. They nearly sold it to you too." (4.155-4.158)

The old man imposes a system of reward and punishment on his notion of luck.

I must not think nonsense, he thought. Luck is a thing that comes in many forms and who can recognize her? I would take some though in any form and pay what they asked. I wish I could see the glow from the lights, he thought. I wish too many things. But that is the thing I wish for now. He tried to settle more comfortably to steer and from his pain he knew he was not dead. (4.159)

The old man ultimately gains insight into "luck" throughout the course of his journey. He decides it comes in many forms, but does not explicitly state whether he himself is now lucky or not.

"Now we fish together again." 

"No. I am not lucky. I am not lucky anymore." 

"The hell with luck," the boy said. "I’ll bring the luck with me." (5.35-5.37)

While at the beginning of the story, the old man and the boy allowed luck to separate them, the boy no longer cares about it.