Quote 127
I must not think nonsense, he thought. Luck is a thing that comes in many forms and who can recognize her? I would take some though in any form and pay what they asked. I wish I could see the glow from the lights, he thought. I wish too many things. But that is the thing I wish for now. He tried to settle more comfortably to steer and from his pain he knew he was not dead. (4.159)
The old man ultimately gains insight into "luck" throughout the course of his journey. He decides it comes in many forms, but does not explicitly state whether he himself is now lucky or not.
Quote 128
"Who gave this to you?"
"Martin. The owner."
"I must thank him."
"I thanked him already," the boy said. "You don’t need to thank him."
"I’ll give him the belly meat of a big fish," the old man said. "Has he done this for us more than once?"
"I think so."
"I must give him something more than the belly meat then. He is very thoughtful for us." (1.99-1.105)
One of the old man’s key characteristics is his ability to humbly recognize that others are helping him. He carries no false perceptions in terms of his own abilities, and knows his dependence on others.
Quote 129
"I remember everything from when we first went together."
The old man looked at him with his sun-burned, confident loving eyes. (1.26-1.27)
The man and the boy are similar in the value they place on memories of the past.