Old Man and the Sea

In the novella, “The Old Man and the Sea”, Ernest Hemingway connects Joe DiMaggio’s life with Santiago’s. DiMaggio’s father, like generations of DiMaggio’s before him, was a fisherman, and he enthusiastically wished for his sons to join him. While Joe DiMaggio never had any interest in fishing, his upbringings as the son of a poor immigrant fisherman helped form his popular image as the personification of the American Dream. Santiago, much like DiMaggio’s father, was a fisherman. One day when Santiago was out fishing, he encounters a severe battle with a Marlin. He continuously battles this Marlin for several days and the hardships begin to occur. Santiago refuses to eat, and he becomes very weak and fatigue. As he holds on forcefully to the line, the Marlin refuses to back down, and Santiago’s hands start to develop cuts. He thinks to himself, “Do you believe the great DiMaggio would stay with a fish as long as I will stay with this one? I am sure he would and more since he is young and strong. Also his father was a fisherman” (Hemingway 68). Thinking of DiMaggio at this point makes Santiago feel better about staying with the fish because Santiago is comparing himself to his hero. Considering they both have the same background, Santiago can relate to Joe DiMaggio and views Joe DiMaggio as equal to him. At the beginning of the book, Santiago specifically says, “I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing. They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he would was as poor as we are and would understand” (Hemingway 22). Santiago feels that DiMaggio would understand his hardships, like the battle with the Marlin and the minimum amount of money Santiago has. Santiago views DiMaggio almost as one of his companions and would not be afraid to open up to Joe DiMaggio if he got that chance. As one can see, Joe DiMaggio’s life is juxtaposed with Santiago’s.