In Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is an old fisherman who lives in a small village near Havana, Cuba. His entire life revolves around three things: fishing, a young boy, Manolin, who is his only friend, and American baseball. Santiago is fascinated by American baseball and with Joe DiMaggio in particular. Each evening he and Manolin go over the daily newspapers to review the latest news about the New York Yankees. Santiago has great respect for Joe DiMaggio. In fact, it appears that DiMaggio is Santiago's "hero". When one stops to consider the relationship between Santiago and DiMaggio it becomes apparent that DiMaggio is a symbol for Santiago's inner strength and great passion for living. Although Santiago is old and weathered, he still has a fighting spirit as exemplified in his three days at sea and his struggle with the great fish whereas DiMaggio has a physical injury in his left heel that hindered his baseball career for one season only to make a glorious comeback the next season. In other words both are physically impaired yet never give up their passion for their craft. To further illustrate Santiago's considerable respect for and connection with DiMaggio; he often wonders what "the great DiMaggio" would think of Santiago as illustrated when he kills the first shark. DiMaggio is never mentioned again after Santiago has been defeated by the sharks, demonstrating Santiago's acknowledgement that he has failed in his life. .
The manner in which Hemingway compares Santiago and DiMaggio is a brilliant execution of metaphor. As Santiago is the great fisherman, strong, capable, and full of life, so too is Joe DiMaggio the great ballplayer, son of a fisherman, who like Santiago is a symbol of resilience and courage.