The Old Man and the Sea #8

Question eight asks how accurately does this novel reflect events in history? What responsibilities does the author believe exist between various groups in society, such as workers and bosses, men and women, blacks and whites, etc.? What people, ideas, and events probably influenced this author?

The Old Man and the Sea didn't really have any major historic events besides baseball, which was becoming big at the time. The old man and the young boy talked about baseball for a bit in the book and the old man really liked the baseball player by the name of Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio was brought up a few times in the book by the old man.

I think the idea of a determined, selfless, and hard worker influenced the author. The main character, Santiago, is a very hard worker. Despite his injury he risks everything to reel in the fish. He is determined to bring back the Marlin for the village. The old man shows selflessness by never acting like he should be rewarded for surviving the sea. I think the old man feels like he doesn't think he did well enough or worked hard enough, which isn't true. I think Hemmingway did a great job of inventing a character who had these qualities.

I think that this author was probably influenced by his life and the people around him. Like any other story, the people, events, or places could be influenced by things he and other people have experienced or met. He probably also imagined some of the things.  Also I think that baseball influenced him. Baseball was becoming really popular at the time. He mentions the Yankees a lot and especially the player Joe DiMaggio.  

There was not an obvious society issue in this book. By the details of the book I think the reader can determine that the village was small and poor. The people thought the old man was very unlucky. That was really the only talk of the town.


Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print..