The Labrador Fiasco Brief Description The narrators mom

The Labrador Fiasco

Brief Description

- The narrator’s mom tells a story to the narrator’s sick father: - Hubbard, Wallace & George go on an expedition - They take a wrong turn that leads to the wrong destination - Face a lot of difficulties and harsh consequences - Unfavorable conditions lead to the character's downfall - Hubbard gets too weak and dies

- Wallace decides to give up and go back - George is confident; doesn’t give up, keeps going - Narrator’s father has a stroke, and suffers a short-term memory loss - His father mixes the outer story with the inner story

Literary Devices

Pathos: when the story evokes sorrow or pity in the reader - Allows the reader to have more of an emotional connection to the characters in the story - Shown in the story through the narrator and the mother, who have to deal with the father suffering strokes and memory loss - “My mother doesn’t know what to do” (Atwood 87)

Direct Address: When the author addresses the reader directly - In this story, it’s important because it provides an explanation - On page 80, the author explains that this story being told doesn’t have an old indian to guide the adventurers - “There’s no old Indian in this book” (Atwood 80)

Symbol: an object that represents a larger idea - It’s important to put thought-provoking ideas in the reader’s mind, and associating them with an object makes that easier - The moccasins in this story represent failure, as when they are first mentioned, the story connects them to Hubbard, Wallace, and George’s eventual failure - “They [Hubbard, Wallace, and George] also failed to purchase extra moccasins. This may have been their worst mistake. ” (Atwood 80)

C haracters onflicts

Narrator’s father: -Isn’t doing well -Lives in Labrador Narrator: -Name not mentioned -Doesn’t live with his/ her parents Hubbard & Wallace: -Campers -Get too weak and give up George: -Guide -Doesn’t give up, goes on

Person vs. Nature - outer story Conflict: Unresolved -Face harsh weather and unfavorable conditions. -Starve & get weak -The nature stops them from achieving their goal. -Nature is independent and inevitable; it’s in no one’s control.

Person vs. Self - Outer story Conflict: Resolved -Inner instincts tell him to “turn around, retrace his steps” and “share the it [the food] with the others” (Thurber 87). -Fights his inner self to make this tough call - go back or keep moving ahead?

Themes

Growing older can be hard for many people - Aging can be difficult for people. - The father said he would have never went on that journey unless he was young. “In fact he would never have gone on this ill-advised journey in the first place, or - although he was once more reckless, more impetuous, more sure of his ability to confront fate and transcend danger”(Atwood 78). - The father tells his child, if she kept her youth, it could have saved him. “I've failed to remain young. If I could have managed that I could have saved him; then he too could have remained as he was”(Atwood 86).

Basic human survival can be difficult - The men are lacking supplies and are likely going to die. - The narrator's father has a stroke at the dinner table and he does not know where he is. - The father thinks he is stranded in the forest with nothing to eat. ‘“Where are we now? ” I say. He gives me a crafty look: am I trying to trip him up? "In a forest, " he says. "We need to get back”’ (Atwood 87).

People need human interaction - The men are in the forest, then they begin to separate and become isolated from each other. - The father is helpless after his strokes and needs someone beside him. “You seem to have become very old all of a sudden”(Atwood 86). “He doesn't like it that she's on the other side of the glass. If he lets her slip away, out of his sight, who knows where she might go? She might vanish forever”(Atwood 87).

Other Interesting Notes

Interesting Note - An interesting part of the story is that the father agrees with everything that George does in the inner story - This combined with his large interest in the story could suggest that the father is George in the future - “That George did the right thing” (Atwood 86) - “Usually he’s [the father] busy making up his list. . . of what he would take” (Atwood 81)

End