Analysis Of No Great Mischief By Alistair Macleod

The son had loved his father dearly but does not favor his way of life. His interest in school greatly outweighed his interest or desire to work on ‘The Boat’. He still had a love for the sea and in some way felt like he should carry out his family’s tradition. After his uncle had accepted a new job he took his position on the boat and promised his father that we would continue to sail with him for as long as he lived, and when his father passed despite the desires of his mother he followed his dreams and pursued education and all of its wonders. After living his life he finds himself longing for the sea again and isn’t so satisfied with his life.

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” At some point in life one is faced with a decision which will define the future, but only time will tell whether or not the choice was right or wrong. The Boat by Alistair MacLeod demonstrates that an individual should make their own decisions in life, be open to new experiences and changes, and that there is no way to obtain something, without sacrificing something else.

A supportive family helps shape your personality and instils good decision making in you. In THE FARMING OF BONES the main character Amabelle was abandoned by her family when she was

The short story “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod is narrated by a man who comes from a fishing family. His mother’s side of the family has forever lived and worked by the sea and continues this tradition. The narrator’s father always wanted to be an academic, but worked on the boat to support his family. Through this passage it is evident that the parents’ characters clash in many aspects of their lives and are in constant conflict. MacLeod demonstrates this through the use of repetition, the contrast in other unrelated ideas, and through information that is withheld.

Family. It is a very fluid yet rigid idea. It has a wealth of definitions, all of which range in degree and magnitude, and vary from person to person; yet the concept of how a family should work and operate is very concrete in most American minds. Family is a bond that is crafted every second of everyday until it is powerful, and this can shape beliefs, outlooks, and confidence. A study found that children with father figures that are highly involved benefit because an immense range of emotions are modelled to them as children, and consequently they will be more adapt at recognizing and expressing their own emotions. In contrast children

“The Boat” written by Alistair MacLeod tells a story about a father’s life and how he lived as a fisherman. The narrator is an adult man who looks back on his life of when his father was still living because even though he got a university education, he now wants the life his father had. He expresses how his father always wanted him to become something bigger and better then what he became. The author, Alistair MacLeod, used many different writing techniques within this short story. The symbolism of “The Boat” expresses inevitability through the little hobbies the father/husband does through his boring routine life, obligation through the father/husband’s commitment as a fisherman to provide for his family, and imprisonment through his

Family is important in every culture, it shapes people and makes them who they are.

The setting of Alistair Macleod’s short story, The Boat, complements the setting of Alden Nowlan’s poem, Warren Pryor.  Each of these writing pieces contain the element of a smaller town with a tight knit community.  In the short story The Boat, our community is a Nova Scotian community whose primary industry is fishing.  This results in most of the members of the community partaking in the fishing lifestyle.  Another influential location this writing piece takes place in is inside of the house, “which was one of about fifty that marched around the horseshoe of [his] harbour,” (Macleod 263).  Most of the homes in this town are situated close to the water as it is there where most of the men work as fishermen.  Inside the house was his father's room where “magazines and books covered the bureau,” (Macleod 265).  It was in their father’s room where the children discover their love of reading and become more dedicated to their schooling.  Both the short story and the poem contain the setting of a school, which is symbolic as it is their education that allows the characters to be free of their obligations and the way of their town.  Finally, the setting takes place on the Jenny Lynn, “she was what Nova Scotians called a Cape Island boat and was designed for the small inshore fishermen,” (Macleod 262) and it is on this boat where the father and son make their final journey out to sea.  Likewise, the poem Warren Pryor takes place in another resource based community, however, this

Family identity is important to develop who they will be in the world, a family's values, goals and vision help build a strong foundation that will mold someone into a productive member of society. Family relationships are the building blocks that lead to strong moral values. Respect, honesty and trust are all developed with family members. The stronger the bond in the family, the stronger the moral values will be as a person grows up. If the family doesn’t have strong values, skills will develop based off the environment. This can be a tough thing to learn, not

Alistair MacLeod’s “The Boat” is a literary success on many levels. His ability to evoke mood, sustain a meaningful theme and a strong setting make this piece particularly impressive.

Indigenous communities in Canada have long suffered from trauma that has largely been afflicted by Canada’s colonial past. This very idea is still prevalent today. “it takes an ocean not to break,” begins with the somber thoughts of the narrator reflecting on the suicide of a youth, she deeply cared about. who was close to her. Her statement: “i was in love with the idea that finally we had given birth to a generation that didn’t have to spend their adult lives recovering from their childhood.” (Simpson 79) represents the hope that in 21st century intergenerational trauma would no longer be prevalent in Indigenous society. The narrator also mentions “you weren’t going to drown yourself in anything.” (Simpson 79) This references the idea of substance abuse that has been prominent in Indigenous communities. The hopeful ideas quickly disappear when the speaker faces reality and the fact the youth was in a collision course with “a diagnosed train wreck”. (Simpson 79)

Religion and tradition are two ways that families come together. However in Norman Maclean’s novella, A River Runs Through It, the Maclean family’s devotion to their Presbyterian religion and their tradition of fly-fishing is what undeniably brought the family together. Under the father’s strict Presbyterian values, his sons, Norman and Paul used fly-fishing as the link that brought them closer together and helped them bond with their father on a different level. The family’s hobby of fly-fishing was started just for fun. It was a sport that was taken up every Sunday after church to take their minds off of the worries in life. After a while, going fly-fishing every Sunday turned into a tradition and soon a

The stories from Alistair Macleod’s The Lost Salt Gift of Blood are often related to the lives of the people of the Maritimes who are commonly miners, fishermen and farmers. The author repeatedly examines similar themes and issues in his short stories such as isolation, choices versus consequences and the concept of dying culture. However, the most prominent theme deals with the contrast between the rural ways of life and the more modern city life. This theme is not only limited to the Maritime culture; it is something that can be universally understood. His reason for utilizing this theme is to prove that the modern way of life is not always better then the traditional ways. Alistair Macleod

The narrator’s feeling towards the boat and fishing culture is very complicated. He was born in a fishing community, the boat and fishing culture is a natural part of him, and he loves it. However, he more prefers to freedom and going out. Meanwhile, he feels sorry about leaving the tradition and his family.

Some people say that we don’t choose our family, because they are God’s gift to us, as we are to them. I believe that a family’s love and care is unconditional because it is endless no matter what happens. A family’ love is everlasting, it will always be there. The love that a family has cannot be replaced by anybody. Sometimes, we encounter major problems that make us feel sad. For some people, it will cause their death because of depression. Every family should have time for each other, to avoid sadness and to make each other happy. Sometime we might feel unloved or get mad at our family members, especially, our siblings. But in the end, I know that we are still a family and a family will always be there for each other.