what is Hemingway'spoint to having the old man say, "I may not be as strong as I think...... But I know many tricks and I have a resolution?"

Santiago is ageing. The younger fishermen have boats and motors where Santiago has only his small skiff. SAntiago needs something to be proud of, some part of his great past that he can hang on to. Although his body is failing him, he still has tricks that the younger fishermen do not know. Santiago still has drive and a relationship with the sea that the others do not. These things keep him going.