The Old Man and the Sea: Question 5

How does The Old Man and the Sea reflect the history, behavior and social issues of the time period and setting?  What is this book's symbolic and thematic significance? The novel takes place in the 1940’s in Cuba (Hemingway). They are near the Gulf of Mexico, so fishing was very popular. This shows in the novel. Most of the people Santiago and Manolin interact with are fishermen, or have something to do with it. There are fish and shark factories near, which tell the reader that it was most likely a popular market in that time period. Fishing was extremely important during this time because it was a way for men to not only make money for their families, but also provide food for them. Another way this novel reflects history is through its talk of baseball. Santiago often speaks of the great DiMaggio, who was a very famous and popular baseball player. He reads in the newspaper and hears talk about the town of DiMaggio’s great plays, games, and batting average (Hemingway). This shows how popular the sport of baseball was during the 1940’s. Santiago also thought of DiMaggio on the boat, and what he would do if he was put in Santiago’s situation. DiMaggio must have been a very big idol for the people of the time period, if even an old man like Santiago thinks of him in that way.

            The major thematic significance in the novel is that you should never give up trying and hope. Even though when things get hard it makes us want to quit, we must never do so, because we will never get anywhere. This shows in Santiago’s five day chase just to get one fish, because he knew if he could just wait it out, it would be worth it. In the end it does not go exactly how he expected it to, but was worth it in his bad luck streak break and  regaining his courage (Hemingway).

 Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.