The Boat by Alistair Macleod

There are various places that you can access a copy online but here is one website:
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/twatson/TheBoat.pdf
Complete the following activities and questions:
1. Read the story and annotate for key quotes/techniques.
2. Outline the representation of both local and global influences present within this
text (organise in a table if you find this easier).
3. What stance does the narrator take on the impact global culture has had on his
family, heritage and culture? What commentary and conclusions does the narrator
leave us with in terms of local traditions VS modernisation and change?
4. The Boat is structured around the narrators grief for the loss of his father. The
narrators means of coping with his emotional state is by telling a story that explores
his relationship with his father, mother and his ancestral tradition. Analyse the ways
these characters and their relationships with each other are represented.
5. What choices do each of the central characters make? Why? How is the notion of
sacrifice evident in each of the characters?
6. How does Macleod use the seasons and the time of day to convey meaning?
Consider when the memories of his past haunt him the most and his means of
coping with them.
7. How do the rooms within the narrators childhood home operate on a symbolic
level?
8. What relationship exists between the father and the sea? In what ways does
Macleod construct this connection?
9. The description of the fathers death is quite detailed, gruesome and savage. Why
has Macleod concluded the text in such a way? How does his fathers final
appearance operate on a symbolic level?
10. How do the images from the closing of the story connect with the opening of the
text? Consider how the graphic, mutilated image of the fathers body connects
with the narrators initial sense of unease and deathly imagery.
RESEARCH QUESTION TO HELP YOU CONSIDER THE IDEAS PRESENTED IN THE BOAT:
Consider the small island of Nova Scotia What economic influences began to impact
upon local culture in the mid to late 1960s and how did this affect local tradition and
culture?