Lost Salt Gift of Blood
Regionalism in the World of Alistair McLeod
Joan N. Mu****
Student No. *******
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
Regionalism in the World of Alistair McLeod
Imagery is used fairly often in the eastern coast of Canada may have an unforgiving and rather harsh streak, but many Canadians choose to raise their families and practice their craft there. In both short stories by Alistair McLeod; The Lost Salt Gift of Blood and The Boat, the setting of the Canadian east coast is used to develop both the plot and the character. Along with the narration of the physical setting there is also the intricate dialogue spoken by the various characters. In combination, the various customs and traditions presented by the author through language and setting expand our ability to understand the plot. Without McLeod’s regionalistic writing form, the reader’s ability to firmly define the setting and characters would hinder them from his multilayered stories.
Imagery is used fairly often in The Boat with the intention of not only giving the reader a sense of space and time but also an insight to the character. The father is displeased with his lack of education and current lifestyle along the coast, “the sea was behind him and its immense blue flatness stretched out to touch the arching blueness of the sky. It seemed very far away from him or else…he seemed too big for it.” (263) The author in this scenario implies the essence of the problem in the story; the narrator’s father is never unified with the sea he labors in, never achieves the connectedness that goes with working so closely with nature. As well, due to his higher aspirations, the father is too inquisitive and thirsty for knowledge to remain in such a simple place.
In The Lost Salt Gift of Blood, imagery is used to relay the underlying story and theme to the reader. Fog is the best form of imagery used because of its close relation to the actions and their meanings beneath the surface of the story. The entire story seems
Joan N. Mu****
Student No. *******
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
Regionalism in the World of Alistair McLeod
Imagery is used fairly often in the eastern coast of Canada may have an unforgiving and rather harsh streak, but many Canadians choose to raise their families and practice their craft there. In both short stories by Alistair McLeod; The Lost Salt Gift of Blood and The Boat, the setting of the Canadian east coast is used to develop both the plot and the character. Along with the narration of the physical setting there is also the intricate dialogue spoken by the various characters. In combination, the various customs and traditions presented by the author through language and setting expand our ability to understand the plot. Without McLeod’s regionalistic writing form, the reader’s ability to firmly define the setting and characters would hinder them from his multilayered stories.
Imagery is used fairly often in The Boat with the intention of not only giving the reader a sense of space and time but also an insight to the character. The father is displeased with his lack of education and current lifestyle along the coast, “the sea was behind him and its immense blue flatness stretched out to touch the arching blueness of the sky. It seemed very far away from him or else…he seemed too big for it.” (263) The author in this scenario implies the essence of the problem in the story; the narrator’s father is never unified with the sea he labors in, never achieves the connectedness that goes with working so closely with nature. As well, due to his higher aspirations, the father is too inquisitive and thirsty for knowledge to remain in such a simple place.
In The Lost Salt Gift of Blood, imagery is used to relay the underlying story and theme to the reader. Fog is the best form of imagery used because of its close relation to the actions and their meanings beneath the surface of the story. The entire story seems