Though it could mean a variety of things, to me it suggests the length of the old man's ordeal and the idea that perhaps he is due an easy big catch, not a fish that will fight him and give him trouble.
Of course the fish is not ready, he has not been long enough at table and will fight and fight and fight, but in doing so he will also remind the old man of the dignity of the fight and the struggle, of the power to be found in the pursuit, even desperate pursuit, of a goal, even a simple one such as catching a fish.
In some ways, the old man too could come up easy and let someone put the harpoon in him, but he won't, he refuses to give in to his age or his condition or his bad luck.
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