Santiago beaches the skiff and carries his mast up the hill. He collapses in his shack. The boy finds him and cries. The old man has brought back only the skeleton—but he has proven himself. They plan to fish together again.
Santiago is so tired he can barely walk. He carries the mast on his shoulder—again and again, like Christ carrying the cross. He lies down and sleeps. The boy brings him coffee and food. The other fishermen see the great skeleton and understand what happened.
Manolin weeps when he sees the old man's wounded hands. He says he will fish with Santiago again no matter what his parents say. The old man has passed the test—he went far out, he caught the great fish, he fought the sharks. He is still the same man the boy believed in. The story ends with Santiago dreaming of the lions again—still undefeated.
Returning with nothing can still be a kind of victory when you have given everything. The boy's tears are for the old man's pain—and his pride. They will go out together again.