The Father in Alistars MacLeod’s “The Boat”

Writing about Literature

Victoria Rogers

The Father in Alistair Macleod’s “The Boat”

The father in MacLeod’s short story “The Boat” is an interesting portrayal of a parental figure who prioritizes his family above all else. The story is narrated through the eyes of his only son who reflects on his upbringing and the memories of his gigantic-rubber-boot-wearing father. The idiosyncrasies that the father displays, give insight into the depths of his character. Although the father lives a seemingly simple life, his relationship with his family, his sacrificial nature and adoration for literature, exemplifies a life of deeper meaning and complexity.

The father when he is not on the boat dives himself deep into books. The act of binge reading could be a symbol for the freedom and education that the father discreetly desires. The son recalls his father saying he had hopes of attending university, “he had always wanted to go to the university and I had dismissed it then in the way one dismisses his father’s saying he would like to be a tightrope walker.” (p.256) Essentially, this implies how out of reach the ambitions of the father were and how they were invalidated in order to live a more “practical” life in following the path of the family men by becoming a fisherman. He never furthered his education in an institution but broadens his knowledge with the help of these many books. The father appears to be content with his life, however, the reading of consecutive books may also signify the need for a medium for taking himself out of reality. Even though “he had never really loved it” (p. 256), the father sacrifices his own desires to support the family and pursue the life that was pushed on him. What the act of abandoning the father’s own dreams shows, is that he prioritizes his family in an altruistic manner.

The father is a man of sacrifice, in that of his marriage, his life ambitions and his family. The father and the mother are contrasting characters, showing that their relationship may not be as stable or profound as it once was. They no longer share the same room, as the father has sprawled out his mess in his room, that of which includes many tossed books in every square inch that nearly drives the wife to insanity. “The kitchen was a buffer zone between the immaculate order of ten other rooms and the disruptive chaos of the single room that was my father’s” (p.246) this is a juxtaposition showing how the parents don’t have matching views on their way of living and tells a great deal about the father. The room is a reflection of his mind, how he thinks more freely and doesn’t abide by the strictness of his wife. This is also reflected in how they view other situations that involve parenting their children.

The relationship he has with his own children show a deep representation of love in its purest form. He doesn’t hold on to them for his own benefit or deny them from living the life they want. He respects them in making their own choices and isn’t resentful as is the mother. His love for his children is free and selfless, as love should be. Being denied the ability to chose his own path in life, he allows his children to grow and follow their own dreams. He lets them read his novels and work in the diner that their mother loathes because it’s what

...