37 pages 1 hour read

Rodman Philbrick

The Young Man and the Sea

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2004

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Samuel “Skiff” Beaman, Jr.

Samuel “Skiff” Beaman, Jr. is The Young Man and the Sea’s 12-year-old protagonist and first-person narrator. Skiff is hardworking, loyal, and creative, but sometimes makes decisions impulsively, leading to potentially problematic situations. He desires to help his father Skiff Sr. heal after his mother Mary Rose’s death, which demonstrates The Centrality of Family. To accomplish this goal, he embarks on a journey to catch a giant bluefin tuna in a small wooden skiff that his father built for him. This mission is difficult, given Skiff’s age, level of experience, size, and equipment, but he tries and succeeds, which illustrates The Necessity of Resilience. Always keeping in mind his mother’s advice to “never give up” (121), he does everything in his power to make money to fix the family boat—the Mary Rose—and improve his father’s spirits.

Although Skiff demonstrates resilience from the start, The Importance of Thinking Smart is a bit harder for him to internalize. Although “think smart” was one of his mother’s rules, he struggles to follow it while simultaneously following the rule of “never give up.” At times, he makes “foolish” decisions in pursuit of his goal.

Related Titles

By Rodman Philbrick

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Last Book In The Universe

Rodman Philbrick

The Last Book In The Universe

Rodman Philbrick

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Rodman Philbrick

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Rodman Philbrick

Study Guide

logo

Wildfire

Rodman Philbrick

Wildfire

Rodman Philbrick

Study Guide

logo

Zane and the Hurricane

Rodman Philbrick

Zane and the Hurricane

Rodman Philbrick