Symbolism Developed In The Father In The Boat By Alistair Macleod

Symbolism Developed in The Father in “The Boat” In Alistair MacLeod's “The Boat”, while the father is confined by his fishing lifestyle, he ultimately sacrifices himself for others. In the beginning of the story, the father does not pursue his dreams of a knowledgable life, instead settling down to a life of a traditional fisherman. The impression that the father gives off towards his family everyday is seen as: “... the snow that was his hair. His usually ruddy face was drawn and grey, reflecting the exhaustion of a man of sixty-five who had been working in those rubber boots…” (MacLeod 7). The observation of the father’s white hair can be taken into context as displaying his knowledge and wisdom that grows within him. However,

Each day the father is displaying himself as a bland and standard man in his town, as a fisherman, and gives an ultimate sacrifice of confining his will of life. In addition, the father goes through a routine of ordinary and traditional labour, which beats him down everyday from the life that he has chosen. The father displays an emotional challenge : “there was a battered bureau and beside there was a closet which held his single ill-fitting serge suit, the two or three white shirts that strangled him and the square back shoes that pinched” (MacLeod 4). The father proves that the life he lives strangles him with every movement he makes, as the character always seems to have a regretful and sluggish mood. The father goes through everyday being an old beaten up ordinary dad that barely makes it through a day, reflecting his mood with the career he has chosen; so he can support his family and wife. The family sees their father as a basic fisherman that is just filling the task of any dad, but the father is actually sacrificing his individuality for his family. Furthermore, the father knows he can't allow his son to follow the tradition that he was forced into, so he decides a sacrifice must be made so his son