Monday, July 25, 2011

Old Man and the Sea Question 8

Question eight asks "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?". The book I will be answering these questions from is Old Man and the Sea. The book is set in the time of the 1940's. This time consisted of World War II, Great Depression, and the very well known Pearl Harbor attack.(1940s.org) The book showed many examples that the Great Depression was going on. Throughout the book the evidence of hardships and very little jobs and money was harped on multiple times. It was shown more when Santiago was in town before and after he was at sea. (Hemingway) I don't think that the fact that World War II was going on was as well represented though. The Great Depression was definitely more evident than World War II, which makes me believe that the setting is more in the early 1940's than in the mid-late because that's when the Depression was lessening and WWII was of most importance.(1940s.org) As for the responsibilities of the time, the largest difference was between men and women. For the book specifically and the village it is set in, the men are fishermen or business owners. As for the women, they were known for keeping the house, making the meals, and taking care of the children. This was the average lifestyle for women of the 1940's and in the village that the book is set in. Its is obvious that the author was very influenced by his own values and the historic events. The biggest personal value that is incorporated in the book is the authors religious belief. Hemingway must have had a large belief in the Christian church specifically. He also shows his value for the older generations by showing a very high regard of them and their life lessons/opinions. Another huge influence was definitely the Great Depression which was pretty much a key part to the entire outline of the Old Man and the Sea.

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

1940s.org | 1940-1949 History Fashion Movies Music. 2010. Web. 25 July 2011. .

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