Summary Of 'Cornet At Night And The Boat'

Ryan Kent
Ms. Chiasson
ENG3U
02/03/2015
“Cornet at Night” and “The Boat” The literary works of two Canadian authors can often be place under a microscope where the similarities of their works become very apparent. The writing styles tend to have many aspects in common. The short story “Cornet at Night” by Sinclair Ross is very similar to “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod. They are similar in not just one but in many ways. The two literary works share many aspects between them. These aspects extend over a wide variety of topics. These aspects are used by the authors in both short stories to help develop the plot and deepen the story. The most comparable of these aspects are the theme, setting and the diction that is used. “You must be in tune
with the times and prepared to break with tradition.” - James Agee. In both of the literary works the theme of tradition and breaking tradition is present. The main characters of each story are at a point in their lives where they must make a decision that will decide the direction they will head in their lives. They are presented with two options that are continuing family tradition or to roll with the times and go to school. In “Cornet at Night” the boy, Tom, is experiences conflict from his parents and relates back to the theme of tradition in the story. On the one hand the mother refuses to let the boy work on Sunday because it is the lord’s day. Therefore she is a believer of tradition however she also encourages Tom to go to school and music lessons so she also promotes change. She doesn’t want him working on the farm like generations before him have she wants him to go to school and chan with the times. The father promotes the opposite and expects that Tom will be a helping hand on the farm like the many before him. He does not agree with his wife’s opinion of Tom going to school and makes his opinion heard with the statement “No, for a change he’s going to do what I say. The crop’s more important than a day at school.” (Ross 219). His refusal to change with the times is also present with the statement “When I was his age I didn’t even get to school.” (Ross 219). Both these quotes show how he is not in tune with the times and is not prepared to break tradition. This theme is also very apparent in “The Boat”. Tradition is deeply rooted in the society of the area. Two examples of this are the son and the daughters. The son experiences very similar conflict from his parents and whether he will follow tradition and become a fisherman or break tradition and continue on with school. He is in tune with the times and is prepared to break tradition but conforms to tradition as wished by his parents. It is also present with the daughters. Society expects them to become housewives and marry fishermen just like the mom expects and wants. The mom explicitly shows the failure to be in tune with the times with the statement “I don’t know what’s the matter with my girls. It seems none of them are interested in any of the right things.” (MacLeod 267). The daughters do not wish for this and break tradition by getting educations and moving far away with men that are not fishermen. Just as the theme suggests, the daughters are in tune with the times and unlike the women who preceded them they are willing to break with tradition. In both short stories the characters are faced with continuing with tradition of breaking it. Their decisions are based on being in tune with the times a being prepared to break with tradition. The setting of the two literary works has a great influence on the overall plot development of each short story.
The time between the two stories is very close. The number years that separate each story is approximately between 10 and 20. The time the stories take place play a large role on the plot development because of the values associated with those times. Certain values have higher priorities than others. “Cornet at Night” takes place in the 1930s in the midst of the great depression. Certain conflicts like the decision between the farm and school are greatly impacted because of the time. The father makes a point of how he did not get to school when he was Tom’s age. It shows what he prioritizes when it comes to education and work on the farm. The story taking place during the great depression had the largest impact on the decisions made. People during the great depression were never thinking about the future they were always thinking of the present. Just like Tom’s dad is when he wants him to skip school to work on the farm. This conflict is what advances the plot which is all a result of the time it takes place. Similarly to “Cornet at Night”, in “The Boat” the family’s decisions were based on the time period and society’s expectations. “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod is set in the 1940s where there are certain expectations and a general life that would be followed. The son was expected to become a fisherman just like his father and the majority of others in the
town. The mom is just like society and pushes for this when she makes the statement “I never thought a son of mine would choose useless books over the parents that gave him life.” (MacLeod 272). Women in the 1940s were not expected to find lives outside of their town. At the time they had expected them to stay at home and marry a fisherman and then become a housewife for the remainder of their lives. This is where the daughters are faced with a conflict because of the time period and advance the plot with their resolution. A lot of the conflicts and decisions made are specific to the time period. These conflicts really help add depth and more meaning to each story. The diction used in a story can be used by the author to help deepen a plot.
Both authors use figurative language to do so. Most specifically they use symbolism. In the two literary works there are objects that have a literal meanings on the surface but when opened up and discovered they have much deeper and profound meanings. In both short stories the physical object is a person or people who when examined closely offer as an escape from duties that were forced upon them. It showed them the world beyond their work. In “Cornet at night this escape was the cornet player, Philip, who Tom brought back from town. Philip has no business being on a farm but for some reason Tom had chosen him. Philip was a way for Tom to open his mind to things outside of the farm. The music gave him a glimpse of the world beyond farming and offered as a temporary escape from duty and imprisonment. Tom did not know much about the world, “Somehow I didn’t feel ashamed because I had lived all my eleven years on a prairie farm, and knew nothing more that Miss Wiggins and my Aunt Louise’s gramophone.” (Ross 228). Philip provided him with means of excitement, intrigue and imagination that could not be fulfilled by farming. Likewise the tourists in “The Boat” are a metaphor to the father just like Philip is to Tom. The tourists give the father something that fishing can not. Just like his books, the tourists we his escape from the duty and imprisonment of fishing. He appears to come out his shell with
them as the author describes, “He proceeded to get very drunk up there with the beautiful view and the strange company and the abundant liquor, and late in the afternoon he began to sing.” (MacLeod 269). Just like Philip in “Cornet at Night”, the tourists provide the father with means of excitement, intrigue and imagination. These external people symbolize much more that what is seen at first glance. Once they are examined thoroughly their true inner meaning becomes visible. The literary works of two Canadian authors tend to have many similarities when it comes to their writing. When comparing “Cornet at Night” by Sinclair Ross and “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod there are many similarities that become present. The theme of tradition is present in both short stories and how we tend to break is as we become in tune with the times. The setting of both stories is very similar when it is broken down to the time period in which they take place. The figurative language used by both authors in the same in the way that they use people to symbolize something much more important. The fact is that our surrounds as we grow up will always have an impact on our lives and who we become in the future. Our nationalities will always define us and represent us wherever we go.

Works Cited
Ross, S. . The Lamp at Noon and Other stories: Cornet at Night
MacLeod, A. ‘The Boat’ from Island: The collected Short Stories of Alistair Macleod