In the short story “The Boat”, Alistair Macleod describes the conflicting relationship between a mother and a father based on their different attitudes about their children’s futures. The story is told through the perspective of the son in the family, looking back on his childhood in the 1930’s in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The narrator begins the story with the first trip he took with his dad on their boat. It was a 32 by 9 foot “Cape Island boat” designed for small inshore fisherman. Coming home to questions from all his family "How did you like the boat?" "Were you afraid in the boat?" "Did you cry in the boat?” (MacLeod, 224). The boat was clearly very treasured. His fondest memory being the trips he took with his father. The boat is significant in this story as it represents sacrifice and symbolizes the love a father has for his family. The boat is what brought their family together, as well as apart.
They are living in a place where taking up the family business in fishing is typical of the men in the family, and therefore that is what the father did. The people’s lives were dependent upon their boats; this is how the family made their money and how essentially everyone in the town supported themselves. The mother in the story was a true supporter of these …show more content…
This symbolizes being trapped between two forces that control his life; his responsibilities as a fisherman and father, and the passion he had for books and education. The boat is one of the first things introduced into the story; the author does this to enforce how essential it is to their lifestyle. In the end it is what causes the characters to make life changing decisions; the father spends his entire life on the boat and eventually ends up dying this way. Their lives are structured around the boat, and this brings out the major themes in the story such as love, sacrifice, and
They are living in a place where taking up the family business in fishing is typical of the men in the family, and therefore that is what the father did. The people’s lives were dependent upon their boats; this is how the family made their money and how essentially everyone in the town supported themselves. The mother in the story was a true supporter of these …show more content…
This symbolizes being trapped between two forces that control his life; his responsibilities as a fisherman and father, and the passion he had for books and education. The boat is one of the first things introduced into the story; the author does this to enforce how essential it is to their lifestyle. In the end it is what causes the characters to make life changing decisions; the father spends his entire life on the boat and eventually ends up dying this way. Their lives are structured around the boat, and this brings out the major themes in the story such as love, sacrifice, and