Facing The Truth In 'The Novice'

Facing the Truth is a hard thing for anyone to do, when you’ve gone for so long ignoring what is actually happening around you and living in an idealist worldview it can be hard to escape it. The first mate struggled with accepting what was actually true after the crash with the ship, however he was able to begin to face it after there was no other choice. In “The Novice” the reader should learn that the significance of idealism in an individual’s life is that one cannot hide behind their ideals forever because at one point they have to face the truth. This results in a change of perspective and outlook on life.

In the novice the first mate hides behind his belief that the ship the Sally Anne would last forever and that he could stay attached to it. At the beginning of the story the mate had believed so forcefully and overwhelmingly that the boat could never be destroyed. He had believed that the boats “intricacy would protect it” He thought that because of how complex of a project that it had been and how majestic the boat had been would

keep it afloat for as long as it needed to be. The mate had dedicated his entire life to working on boats, when grade 10 finished he started to work on boats as a deck-hand and had moved around the boats until he found the Sally Anne. He then dedicated all of his time to this one boat, during the time of year that the water was free of ice he stayed on the boat and even during the winter he stayed close enough to the docks and just waited for the boating season to begin. He did not think there was anything they could not fix about the boat. The first mate believes that his care in the boat was all it needed to stay floating. When the boat was destroyed the first made is then forced to face the truth of what happened.
After the boat crashes the mate is then made to face the reality of what has happened. He begins to think about how the boat was beginning to show signs of wear, and that the boat was not an eternal object. He finally realizes that while they did try to fix any problem that came up there was always new one showing up and that not even the painting of the ship every spring could keep the problems that were showing up in hiding. After dedicating his entire life to the ship the first mate begins to accept that he has nothing left once the ship is gone, as he is in the water waiting for dawn “a quick swell of anger and disappointment swept through him”. It is at this moment that he realizes that while other men on deck on the Sally Anne had other passions outside of the ship and had families that were waiting for him; he however has nothing left and has nowhere to go once they escape the wreckage. It is at this point that he recognizes what the ship he loved so much as become; wreckage. He sees that even if his pride and joy is gone, what is left over can still be useful. They can use it as a raft to get to safety, a temporary shelter when they get to land. He also accepts the fact the after the use for the wreckage is done they will have to abandon it and that he will not be able to take it with him. The first mates acceptance of the truth of what has happened allows him to be able to think of the future and what will happen now.
At the beginning of the story his outlook is very bleak but as it progresses you see him being able to change his outlook on the situation and the things that will come next. The mate starts to think about what is going to happen next. He thinks about how they are planning on surviving and the trip that will have to be taken to get back to safety. He is determined to get back to where they came from and will not accept anything less. He knows it will be hard and that there is a lot of challenges to overcome but he is determined not to die and to begin to move on. Throughout the story his optimism begins to build. He says numerous times that “dawn would come” and will not accept anything else. All of them are completely certain that dawn will come so they can move onto being saved and saving themselves. The first mate is working towards the next steps of his life and the first one to be taken is waiting for dawn to come

In “The Novice” the reader should learn that the significance of idealism in an individual’s life is that one cannot hide behind their ideals forever because at one point they have to face the truth.

This results in a change of perspective and outlook on life. The first mate had believed in the ship Sally Anne so much that he did not think that anything could happen to it. He believed that the ship was stronger and studier than it was. After the accident the mate is forced to begin to see the truth about the ship and his life. He finally began to see that the thing he dedicated his whole life to was not as great as he thought. By the end of the story his outlook on life changes and he starts to think about what is next and working on the next step in surviving. The truth is something that people hide from and try as hard as they can not to face, however there are something’s that you cannot ignore as much as you try and one

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