I cannot think of a lot of ways
that this book reflects history since most of the story takes place at the sea
where the old man is either talking to himself, the fish, or sharks. One of the ways that it does reflect history
however is by its frequent mentions of baseball, which was America’s favorite
pastime sport to watch, especially around the 1950’s. Santiago says that the best team is the New
York Yankees. This is a reflection of
the time period because the Yankees were having great seasons during this time,
including winning the World Series consecutively from 1949 to 1953, one year
after the book was published (New York Yankees). The “great DiMaggio” that Santiago spoke of
so often was a famous centerfielder for the Yankees (PBS). Like the old man had said, Joe DiMaggio’s
father was a fisherman off the coast of Sicily who sailed to the United States
of America like so many others looking for opportunities for a better life
(PBS). Another reflection to history
comes when Santiago recalls an arm wrestling competition that he participated
in earlier. Arm wrestling became more
popular during the 1950’s and 1960’s as contest began to show up all around the
country at taverns, fairs, and other places (Arm Wrestling 101).
The book
reflects the behavior of the people when it says that many of the fishermen
made fun of Santiago. Others, especially
the older ones, felt sorry for him. This
represents how, generally speaking, the older a person gets the more
compassionate and caring he or she is.
One
symbolic significance in the book is when the old man compares himself to a
turtle. The turtles’ heart continues to
beat hours after it has been butchered (Hemmingway 13). After eighty-four days of not catching a
single fish, Santiago feels that he is unlucky.
Although his hopes may feel “butchered”, he still is alive and tries
again the next day. The old man also
compares himself to the great marlin fish in several ways. The significance of these comparisons is that
the old man can express to the reader what kind of person he is as well as get
a feeling that he is not alone in the world, even when the boy is made to work
with another fisherman.
"Arm Wrestling 101." Kidzworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 19
Aug. 2012. <http://www.kidzworld.com/article/6501-arm-wrestling-101>.
"New York Yankees." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, 18 Aug. 2012. Web. 7 Aug. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees>.
PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 7 Aug. 2012.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dimaggio/peopleevents/pande01.html>.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York:
Scribner, 1952. Print.
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