I found the setting extremely appropriate for The Old Man and the Sea. Well, duh, "sea" is part of the title. However, one thing I am noticing about a majority of survival stories is they all tend to take place either at sea or on an island. Take Life of Pi for instance. Pi has to survive on the sea for an extended period of time. As for an island, Lord of the Flies illustrates how to survive on an island for a long time. I just noticed that common theme as I was reading The Old Man and the Sea. However, I do not know which I would rather be stranded on: the ocean or a deserted island. But because Santiago has spent practically his whole life dealing with the sea, as I am assuming about him due to his vast knowledge of fish, the old man survived quite well. Although I must say he was not entirely prepared for the idea of being at sea for three days. He did not bring nearly enough food or water to get him through the three days at sea. However, Santiago was able to catch fish, but I would have thought that with his bad luck with fishing he would bring extra with him, just in case. Although, his method seemed to work out for him as he managed to get back home safely, just without the whole marlin. All that he had to show for his efforts was a skeleton of the marlin.
Like I said, though, I think the sea added to the novel quite a bit. Santiago did not have many options while on the gulf except to stay in his boat and hope for the best, so in a way that added to the suspense of the novel. Because, I did not know if he was ever going to cut the cord and try to get back home, or if he was going to stick it out and wait for the fish to jump or come closer to the top. So the ocean provided a good setting for the novel, and I enjoyed the various descriptions given during Santiago's time alone in the skiff.
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