The Old Man and the Sea- Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was one of that main characters in my eyes, but he never really was in the book. He was just talked about a lot by Santiago and Manolin. Santiago really adored Joe DiMaggio. Santiago thinks that Joe DiMaggio represents strength and commitment, and he really worships him for that. Joe DiMaggio played for the New York Yankees. DiMaggio even had a painful bone spur that would have crippled most players, but he went on to have a very outstanding and unforgetable career. He was the New York Yankee's center fielder from 1936 to 1951. Joe was also considered the best all around to ever play that position. Whenever Santiago is down, not feeling well, or can not doing something he wants to while fishing, he immediately thinks about Joe DiMaggio. When Santiago thinks of him, it helps him want to be stronger just like DiMaggio was. The whole time Santiago was fishing for his big marlin, he was always thinking about DiMaggio and what he would do if he was there. When Santiago was not on the water though, he was always reading newspapers to check up on DiMaggio. He always thought if he was not playing that they woud do better because of DiMaggio. It did not say anything about this in the book, but when I got to studying Joe DiMaggio, I learned that him and Santiago actually had something in comman. One of the most significant and outstanding relationships between DiMaggio and Santiago is the fact that both men grew up in a rough situation involving poverty and a life that is similar to each other. However, there finals success stories may be different, but Santiago has characteristics of heroic attributes like that of the great Yankee slugger, DiMaggio. I think that is why Santiago did like him, because they had something in common. DiMaggio showed Santiago that you can be involved in poverty during life, and you can still have great success in your life.