The Boat Alistair Macleod Analysis

Our parents constantly remind us that becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or any job that would benefit you is always the right career path to take. In fact, according to researchers from Association of American Medical Colleges, revealed that only 21,030 of the 53,042 students who applied to get into medical school are accepted, that is roughly 40% of the students and the other 60% get rejected. But yet, our parents does not understand that these professions they wished upon us have the littlest to no interest towards many young individuals. This is evident in The Boat by Alistair MacLeod, which tells us that many adolescents have been shut down without a proper statement about our future, this is because our future was either influenced by our parents

For instance, in The Boat by Alistair MacLeod, his father constantly reminding his son that going to university will provide him a better life instead of working in a old fishing village. This example displays that his father was already looking forward to his son attending university, a quote that the father said before the son's first day of fishing is “I am not telling you anything, only asking you” (page 188). This quote states that the father wants the son to listening to the father's dreams and not his own, the son should follow his parents influences of their future. In addition, his own mother has also influenced him that leaving the tradition is a disgrace to the family. For example, when she discovered that his father has influenced him to attend school, she says “I never thought a son of mine would choose useless books over the parents that gave him to life” ( page 188). This quote means that instead of choosing what she wanted the son to do, he chose another career path due to his father’s influence. Both these examples are forms of predetermined future by the parents because since the mother is very traditional the son was forced upon a tradition that he loved doing but on the other hand, his father has also suggested another career path that he desires but not the