Literature class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literature class - Essay Example This short story reflects Clarke’s attitude about coming from Barbados himself. Clarke was raised on the island, only to come to Toronto to find a whole new world, just like his narrator of â€Å"The Motor Car†. The sense of losing oneself in a new country, which has a different culture, was one of Clarke’s fears, which he expresses in this story. Unlike the narrator in â€Å"The Motor Car†, Clarke managed to move and keep his traditional values. â€Å"Hazel† by Carol Shields is a novel that any middle aged homemaker can relate with. After raising two daughters and being supported by her husband, Hazel’s life is changed forever when her husband dies. Hazel felt depressed and lonely, so decided to take a job. Her mother-n-law, best friend, and daughters were appalled. Hazel’s mother-n-law said â€Å"there is no need† (Shields). She felt that since Hazel was well provided for, that a job was not necessary. Maxine, Hazel’s best friend, said â€Å"your not the type† (Shields). Her daughters insisted their father would not have approved. What Hazel’s family and friends did not realize was Hazel needed her job. It might have been a nothing small job, but she needed to feel useful. People need a purpose in life. Hazel just happened to find hers in a job demonstrating pots and pans. Alistair Macleod’s â€Å"The Boat† is a story about the narrator’s sorrow regarding his father’s death. The sorrow expressed by the narrator was wrapped up in a boat. The boat symbolized tradition and a family bonding around working on it. In fact â€Å"Jenny Lynn had been my mother’s maiden name and the boat was called after her as another link in the chain of tradition† (Macleod). The narrator relates stories from every stage of his life by remembering times in the boat. The boat is the focal point of the narrator’s life. When he remembers his father, he remembers