In this way the Landscape is both shaping and being shaped by the characters in it. Island explores the effects on people of living in an almost entirely isolated island. This isolation brings about a certain sense of community amongst friends and mainly family, the obligation for members to support each other going unquestioned. For the younger characters however, the isolation and monotonous drudgery of life on the island is oppressive and they strive to “leave behind this grimy Cape Breton…whose prisoner [they] have been”. For many of the older characters of the book, remaining on the island is their only way of preserving their lives as they knew them as well as preserving the clan which is fundamental.
He has a son that helps him, daughters that help around the house and a very old-fashioned wife that disapproves of many things that make him happy. The father works to his fullest day after day, but throughout the story he does many things that shows that he wishes he lived a different life. He is chained down to the harbor and feels that there is no escape to live how he wants and that his life is set for him as well. Both, The Misfit and the father, struggle to live their lives the way they think they have to. Even though they have many chances to release the chains that hold them down they experience psychological pressures that trick them into say “yes” to their current lifestyle.
(Page 272) He returned to school the following morning. His fathers disapproved of him dropping out; the fathers influence on the son was enough to make him change his decision. The mother was not pleased but this and could not believe her own son would "choose useless books over the parents they gave him life." (Page 272) This lead to influencing the narrator to join his father on the boat when his uncle left his father in order to support his growing family. He told his father that he would "remain with him as long as he lived" and continue to fish with him.
Clearly his father had more of an impact on his life because he talks more about his father. He shows less of an understanding of his mother’s life and her love for the sea, and her determination to not have anything to do with what was outside the wharf. His mother also has a lack of understanding why
Except no one believes anymore…” Oriel longs for the comfort and security of her ‘mind country,’ in a similar way to Fish, yet it takes her a long time to reconcile with this tragedy. Fish does not recognise his mother, partly because of her refusal to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of life, and partly because it was she who brought him back incomplete. It’s only once Fish returns to the water, and the two families unite by the river that Oriel packs up her tent she, her move back into the house finally reflecting spiritual and psychological
In Alice Munro's short story "Boys and Girls", we see the evidence of these specific gender roles with the main character of the story from her mother to be feminine and work indoors, although she prefers to be outdoors working with her father. In Alistair Macleod's short story "The Boat" there is similar gender pressures from the boy's mother to continue tradition by working on the family boat, and persists even after losing her daughters to the oppression. The boy in "The Boat, with the help of his father, is eventually able to achieve his own ambitions, however, the girl in "Boys and Girls" is unable to escape the pressure, and is transformed into what her mother, and society, expect of her; she is unable to realize the potential of her old dreams and is caught in the harsh web of expectations relating to gender which reflects on identity and sense of self. There are many external gender influences in the story that have quite a profound
Lastly, the fathers expectations of two characters does not align with the mothers, yet in one piece of literature the mother expected exactly what the father wished. The feeling of not conforming to societal and parental expectations and not being appreciated condemns youth into believing they are worthless and negatively affects their outlook on life. “Brother Dear” and “A Cap for Steve” both deal with the raw issue of parents not accepting children’s ambitions in life. The two main characters have different goals yet both goals resembled the life that they wish to live at that time. Greg, from the short story “Brother Dear,” does not desire to attend university and become a man of business yet that is all his father wants for him.
Growing Up Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle and How I met my Husband by Alice Munro are two short stories where the protagonists are similar but yet different. The nineteen year old narrator (“the Narrator”) and fifteen years old Edie are characters with whom a reader can empathize with because of what they experience. The Narrator’s life is changed by the trauma he encountered during that one night where Edie’s life is changed over a course of time, both lack life experience and even though they both lack this experience, the Narrator is forced to grow up where Edie grows up all on her own. In Greasy Lake the setting is important because it foreshadows the word bad in every sense. The Narrator explains how the Lake is outside of the
Through the use of soft lighting, low digetic sound and low camera angles within the ‘fort scene’, contrasted with the laughing of his mother and her boyfriend, highlights Max’s will and determination to belong to a certain place. We see a strong disparity between this scene and when he arrives home after being away on the island with the Wild things. By being on the island and learning to accept his flaws and differences Max subsequently realises that he really belongs at home with his family, this in combination with the lack of dialogue demonstrates the intensity and longing felt by both Max and his mother. In learning to come to terms with an acceptance of his home, he begins to develop an even stronger relationship not only with place but also within
Hector learns a great deal on his journey. Three important things he learns are breaking out of his comfort zone, things are not always how they appear, and to be grateful for what he has. Hector lived a comfortable, orderly, and boring life with his girlfriend Clara who acted more like his mother tending after every need of his life. After deciding to go on his journey, Hector immediately breaks out of his comfort zone by choosing to go alone without Clara. Not being able to rely on Clara’s aid meant he was now responsible for himself.