A. He was strong and robust, and felt like he could conquer the world.
Explanation:
Like the character Santiago and his confidence and never giving up attitude, Ernest Hemingway also felt the same. He thought that he still is capable of doing whatever he wanted and that he can conquer anything. He is confident of himself and what he can do. By letting his imagination run wild in the story, he also is indirectly implying that he himself as a person is also still capable of doing anything that the fisherman is doing- being out in the sea even after his bad luck and old age.
The Interregnum put a stop, or at least a caesura, to these lines of influence and allowed a seemingly fresh start for all forms of literature after the Restoration.
