"Old Man By the Sea" by Hemingway

'The great DiMaggio is himself again!'(21), in Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Old Man and the Sea, which takes place near Havana, Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, a very old, unlucky, fisherman sets out for the big catch. The great DiMaggio is seamed throughout the novel to symbolize the old man and his struggle to catch the big fish, yet also he poses as a role model for Santiago (the old man). The old man is using the great DiMaggio for a role model. At a certain point in the struggle to catch this great fish, the old man begins to cramp up in his left hand, do to the fish pulling so strenuously on the line. Where as the great DiMaggio (during this time) is struggling with a bone spurn his ankle, yet still continues to play baseball, and plays well. The old man looks at DiMaggio as a role model in the sense that if DiMaggio can play with a bone spur in his ankle and tough things out, then he will work around his cramp and continue to fight the fish, as would the great DiMaggio.

English: Original title: "Plenty of basehits in th...

Photograph shows Joe DiMaggio, of the New York Yan...

English: New York Yankees centerfielder and Hall o...

This is what the old man thought, '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 young and strong. Also his father was a fisherman. But would the bone spur hurt him too much?'(68).

'But I must have confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly, even with a bone spur in his heel'(68), this particular quote from the old man shows that the image of Joe DiMaggio works in fulfilling its role in the old man's challenge of catching the fish. When thinking...