Old Man and the Sea-Q. 5 (cont.)

The book was very accurate relating to actual events in history. During the years 1950-1951, it was the end of Joe DiMaggio's career due to an injury. The injury didn't end his career, lead to him retiring because he didn't want to retire an average player when he could a legend.

I like how Hemingway used the end of DiMaggio's career to relate the old mans life to. As the great DiMaggio got closer to retiring, the old man got closer to dying. When it got close to the end for the both of them the Great DiMaggio went down with one last amazing World Series, just like the old man finished up his career and life catching one last big fish. I really enjoyed relating the two and understanding that they weren't in it at the end for the money, but for the respect of others and to go down in history as legends. They decided to go out with a bang and that is exactly what they did. Winning a world series with an injured leg is something I would consider outrageous, but to Joe DiMaggio it was something he had to do before he could retire. The same thing goes for Santiago, in order for him to have peace of mind he had to catch one last giant fish and prove to people he could still do it even though he was twice their age.

To me that deserves a lot of respect, working that hard just to be remembered by others and to make a difference in their every day lives trying to be more and more like them. Just as the great Joe DiMaggio was a role model to Santiago, the old man was a role model to the little boy Manolin and that is another thing I think the author wanted us to understand. Not every role model has to be famous they just have to be passionate about what they do and make a difference in your life.

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

"Joe DiMaggio (I) - Biography." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 18 Aug. 2011.