How does this novel reflect the history, behavior and social issues of the time?

The Old Man and the Sea is a book that took place somewhere from the 1930's to the 1950's. I know this because the Old Man and boy are always talking about if the Yankees won(Hemingway, 14). Santiago talks about Joe DiMaggio many times referring to how he played that day and I personally know that Joe played in that time period. This novel reflects the history by the tools and things they used during this time. Santiago has to paddle out to sea and he also uses a string on a stick as his fishing pole when today we would use motored water-crafts and high-tech fishing poles that do not break or have very strong line on them. He does not have any of this advantage when he is out at sea by himself. He also has no type of navigation device which he could have used when he is wondering which direction the fish is pulling him.

The social issues that took place back then also still take place today. People get judged on how much money they make and in Santiago's case it is how many fish he catches. All of the other townspeople think him to be poor and an awful fisherman when he is very wise and rich in spirit. He also is not very popular by their standards because it seems that his only friend is the boy.

The behavior of this time was a little different also. Today people do not stop to help someone in need, they just keep on with their own business. But in The Old Man and the Sea, the young boy stops to offer to help the old man on many occasions. The children are expected to be seen not heard unless spoken to and everyone knows that this is very different today. There is so much disrespect towards parental figures and sometimes it can seem that the parents have no control over their spawn.

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