This novel has a few references to the time period it was written in. One reoccurring reference that the reader can see numerous times in the novel is the old man's interest in baseball. More specifically, the references to the famed Joe DiMaggio. This baseball player for the New York Yankees was a hero to many baseballs fans at this time. The old man would ask the boy of baseball whenever he wanted to talk about something other than fishing. Also, he would think about baseball when lonely on his boat or when he was bored. This reference to that time period shows that baseball was a fun thing to talk about because that was one of their few forms of entertainment. DiMaggio also symbolizes Santiago's hero. However, Santiago still feels like he can relate to his hero, because their back round of being a fisherman's son is similar. This is a reference to the time period. Another historical reference is that the old man was not used to people having motors on their boats. This part was at the beginning, and the old man was thought of as old since he did not have a motor on his boat. This shows that this time period was beginning to change with new technologies.
A social issue in this novel was the fact that the old man was looked down upon because he was down on his luck when catching fish. Many villagers did not think much of him because he could not catch a break. This was mainly seen when the boy's parents would not let him fish with Santiago. That shows that many people determined their opinion of a person by their success. That can be related to our time period too. However, when the old man came back from his fight with the marlin and the villager's saw the skeleton of the great fish, people thought he was respectable again. This shows that social issues have not changed much when dealing with peers opinions. This can also be thought of as a behavioral issue.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.
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