The novel has a very important lesson to learn from. The old man didn't give up on his goal to catch a great fish. He already face 84 days of defeat but he still didn't give up. He went through a lot on the 85th but there the story was unveiled. He went through a lot, literally a lot. He thinks he got nothing to lose then put his life on the line. It is a story of triumph that we can learn from, vicariously.