Describe the beginning and the end of The Old Man and the Sea.

This question appears to be asking about the story's exposition and conclusion. In the exposition, readers are introduced to the old man that the title mentions. The story's location is in Cuba, somewhere near Havana, and the story is placed during the 1940s. We find out right away that the old man is a fisherman, and he hasn't had any luck catching fish lately. In fact, he has gone 84 days without catching anything. That problem is compounded by the coming winter, and the man has no money, food, or additional clothing. Nevertheless, he continues to go out and fish. He hooks a very big marlin, and a major piece of the story is his struggle to kill it and bring it back to shore. Unfortunately, sharks eat his catch, and the old man returns with nothing. The story ends with the old man dreaming about lions, and that means the old man is not defeated. He is still going to keep on fishing and fighting.