preview

Macbeth's Characteristics In The Boat By Alistair Macleod

Decent Essays

The Effect of Macbeth’s Characteristics upon the Development of the Play The way we lead our lives are filled with morals and ethics; we feel that no matter what happens in our life, we must follow these ethics. When we follow these rules for a while, it begins to turn into a theme. These rules begin to define what we do and more importantly, who we are. This concept is shown clearly by Alistair MacLeod in “The Boat”. The family, especially the mother and father, clearly shows the themes of love versus hate, dedication, and tradition. Love versus hate is a strong theme shown by the family. The mother loves that she has a husband who is a fisherman, but the father hates being a fisherman. The father loves doing new things such as making …show more content…

The theme of tradition is shown by how the mother strives for a traditional family. The mother is completely focused on maintaining what is in her eyes, a traditional family. She does not approve of her daughters waitressing at The Seafood Restaurant because of where the roots of the restaurant lay, an American from Boston. “She said the restaurant was not run by “our people”, and “our people” did not eat there, and that it was run by outsiders for outsiders.” (MacLeod, 267) The mother also believes that when her daughters grow up, that they should marry fishermen and remain in the area. The girls do the opposite of remaining in the area and marrying fishermen; instead they marry city boys and move to the city. The mother also finds it traditional to maintain a clean and functional house. In every part of the house is clean except the father’s room which contains piles of books, clothes thrown over a chair, and the pungent smell of cigarettes.

In contrary of the tradition of theme, there is a powerful yet subtle theme of independence. In any example given of the tradition of theme, there is the need of independence by either the daughters or the father. The mother does not want the daughters to work at the restaurant or marry the city boys, but the daughters are doing what they feel is right for them. The father is doing what he wants to do when he

Get Access