Old Man and the Sea

In my opinion, the novel Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway definitely reflects history in an accurate way. The story takes place in a small, Latin American fishing community. Though these tiny communities do not typically change over the years, so the setting could be from any time, they are always the same and therefore reflect history. One way this fishing village reflects history is the way the fishermen make their money. Like today, it is their job to catch fish. The more fish the fishermen catch, the more money they earn. The difference, though, is that they most likely do not know where their fish go. Everything that they catch gets sent to a factory, where it is processed and shipped off to many places around the world. In Old Man and the Sea, the reader sees that the fish are locally sold in a market. It is where the fishermen take what they have caught and that is where they get paid. There is no middle man, which is sort of an adaptation of the modern world. Another reason why this novel reflects history is the description of the boat, as well as the parts of the boat the old man was using. Technology has come a long way, and nowadays there are new nets, radars, cages, bait, and so on to help the fishermen receive bigger profits. However, there are some ways this novel does not accurately reflect history. It never really says what year this plot is taking place. This could just be your average village where everyone is a fishermen and the market is locally owned. Is it possible that the time or place was never mentioned? Is the reader left to assume these two key facts? In my opinion, Ernest Hemingway was very vague on everything except what was directly happening to the old man and the giant marlin. Most of the story takes place in the middle of the ocean, where location and time hardly matter.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995.