the arm-wrestling match as an event

The arm-wrestling match between Santiago and the great negro from Cienfuegos is a defining episode from the old man's past that establishes his legendary strength, his identity as "Santiago El Campeon," and the physical and psychological foundation for his later solitary battle with the marlin. Recalled at a critical moment of exhaustion during the epic struggle at sea, the memory serves as a deliberate act of self-reassurance, linking his present suffering to a past triumph of will and endurance.

The Match and Its Setting

The contest took place in a tavern in Casablanca, where Santiago faced the great negro from Cienfuegos, who was known as the strongest man on the docks. The two men sat with their elbows on a chalk line drawn on the table, their forearms straight up and their hands gripped tight, each trying to force the other's hand down onto the table. The match began on a Sunday morning and did not end until the following Monday morning, lasting a full day and a night. The room was lit by kerosene lamps, and the walls were painted bright blue. The bettors moved in and out of the room, sitting on high chairs against the wall to watch, and the odds changed back and forth throughout the night. The referees were changed every four hours after the first eight so that they could sleep. The negro's shadow, cast by the lamps, was huge and moved on the wall as the breeze stirred the flames.

The Course of the Struggle

As the contest wore on, blood came out from under the fingernails of both men's hands. The bettors fed the negro rum and lit cigarettes for him, and after drinking, the negro would try for a tremendous effort. At one point, he had Santiago, who was not an old man then, nearly three inches off balance. But Santiago raised his hand back to dead even. He became sure then that he had the negro beaten. At daylight, when the bettors were asking for a draw because they had to go to work loading sacks of sugar at the docks or at the Havana Coal Company, and the referee was shaking his head, Santiago unleashed his effort and forced the negro's hand down and down until it rested on the wood. He finished the match before anyone had to go to work.

Aftermath and Legacy

For a long time after that victory, everyone called Santiago "The Champion." A return match was held in the spring, but not much money was bet, and Santiago won it quite easily because he had broken the confidence of the negro from Cienfuegos in the first match. After that, Santiago had a few more matches and then no more. He decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough, but he also decided that such contests were bad for his right hand for fishing. He tried a few practice matches with his left hand, but his left hand had always been a traitor and would not do what he called on it to do, and he did not trust it.

Narrative Role and Significance

The memory of the arm-wrestling match surfaces at a crucial moment during Santiago's struggle with the marlin, when he is exhausted and in pain, and he uses it to give himself more confidence. He thinks of the great DiMaggio, who does all things perfectly even with the pain of a bone spur in his heel, and wonders if DiMaggio would stay with a fish as long as he will. The memory of the hand game, a pure test of strength and will against a formidable opponent, becomes a template for his current ordeal. It reinforces his belief that pain does not matter to a man and that he can endure anything. The episode also establishes a key contrast: the young Santiago who could defeat the strongest man on the docks is now an old man whose body is failing him, yet his will remains undefeated. The match also explains his distrust of his left hand, which cramps at a critical moment during the fishing battle, and his reliance on trickery and resolution to compensate for diminished physical strength.