The Old Man and The Sea - 8

8) How accurately does this novel reflect events in history?  What responsibilities does the author believe exist between various groups in society, such as workers and bosses, men and women, blacks and whites, etc.?  What people, ideas, and events probably influenced this author?

I really do not believe that this novel had much to do with history.  Obviously something historical was happening, more specifically the Cuban Missile Crisis.  This may have had some sort of influence on Hemingway at that particular time, but as far as I can tell there are no references to that at all in the book.  The major thing I did notice was that the people were much different, they were much more reserved in the story.  People judged and showed there judgments, without hidden intentions.  I noticed this particularly in the conversations between Santiago and the people in town.  He knows that he is unwelcome, because everyone was much more exclusive back then and much more outspoken (Hemingway 6).  Even the young boy's mother has rude things to say about the old man (Hemingway 12).  Some people today would still not accept his being different, but I feel that he would have been better accepted nowadays.  
This topic would be much easier to talk about if more people were involved in the story.  Most of the book is this quite soft-spoken old man battling with himself in the middle of the sea.  He really has no reason to interact with anyone because his in not welcome anyway.  The only friend he has is Manolin.  But there is a time period difference there as well, the friendship between an old man and a young boy might not go over so well in today's world.  Back then, no one really questioned it, not to say that it was normal, but it was not that odd.  Times have definitely changed over seventy years.  
Obviously society was influential on the people of this day.  The townspeople were clearly more wealthy than the old man.  They were not necessarily rich, but they were stable.  The old man had nothing, and they knew that.  They were so condescending to that poor man (Hemingway 10).  He deserved respect for all the things he did, it should not reflect from his amount of money.  I think society has gotten worse about that in the U.S. today.  We are even more judgmental about paychecks now.  Whatever happened to personality? 

Hemingway, E. The Old Man and The Sea. New York, NY: Scribner, 1980