Symbolism Metaphor in Alistair Mac Leods The Boat

Symbolism & Metaphor in Alistair Mac. Leod’s “The Boat”

Literal vs. Figurative Language • LITERAL: - means a description from the actual text; the obvious, explicit detail. - what the story/poem tells us directly about and object, character, or event

Literal vs. Figurative • FIGURATIVE: - The symbolic meaning of an object, character, or event. The thing being described is compared to something else with which it has something in common. - Not indicated directly in the text; requires the reader to use his/her imagination and to “read between the lines. ”

Figurative Language (“Figures of Speech”) • The most common figures of speech are the SIMILE, METAPHOR, AND PERSONIFICATION • METAPHOR: A comparison made between two seemingly unlike things that (unlike the simile) does not use “like” or “as. ”

The Boat: • Symbolizes DUTY, IMPRISONMENT, and NECESSITY. • In his youth, the father’s desire to attend university was thwarted, perhaps by his parents’ expectation that he, as an only son, would carry on the fishing tradition. • In his adult years, the father is TIED to a life on the boat because of his responsibility to his wife and children.

Books: • Symbolize EDUCATION and an ESCAPE from the world of IMPRISONMENT and monotonous duty. • The father lived the life that truly mattered to him within the pages of the books he read. • They provided him with a means of excitement, intellect, and imagination. • The daughters and the narrator followed suit, but their books motivated them to actually leave the village and travel beyond its confines.

The Tourists • Metaphor for the WORLD BEYOND the fishing village; an ESCAPE from duty and imprisonment. • Just like the books, they provided the father him with a means of excitement, intrigue and imagination that could not be fulfilled by fishing.

“. . . the brass chains on his wrists. . . ”: • Imagery reinforces the destructive influence of the sea and the boat on the father’s life (literally & figuratively). • The sea and the boat which “shackled” him in life are paralleled in death by the “chains on his wrists. ”

“. . . the seaweed (entangled) in his hair. . . ” • Imagery reinforces the destructive influence of the sea and the boat on the father’s life (lit & fig). • The sea and the boat which “entangled” him in life are paralleled in death by the “seaweed tangled in his hair. ”

“. . . wedged between two boulders. . . ” • Symbolizes the father being TRAPPED between two forces which controlled his life. • Mirrors a life in which he was “wedged” between his RESPONSIBILITIES (father, fisherman) and his DESIRES (books, education).

Coming of Age • We often think of Coming of Age stories as having a turbulent storyline, a complex conflict and a climax that is not necessarily obvious; but still have an optimistic tone. • In a paragraph, defend the opinion that “The Boat” should fit into the Coming of Age category.