The Novice Critical Analysis

Is it socially acceptable behaviour for people to dedicate their lives to an object? Sure, one might say. People have passions and hobbies; these “objects” are worked hard for and should be enjoyed. Although most would say that this type of behaviour is not how normal people should live and that life’s fruition lies in the hands of social interaction; we can only truly enjoy life in the company of other humans, not objects. Where is the line drawn? Is it possible to cling on to a possession so much that it starts to detrimentally affect the person involved? W.D. Valgardson’s short story The Novice demonstrates that this is certainly a possibility. The protagonist undergoes a similar situation; he gets caught up in idealism (glamorizing his boat – his prized possession (named Sally Anne) – to nearly abnormal proportions) which skews his perception of “truth”. The reason he acts this way is due to his lonely, one dimensional, and peculiar lifestyle. Readers of Valgardson’s short story should learn that people are prone to romanticizing their material possessions, and that such behavior is caused by isolation and the refusal to live in accordance to societal norms, which is likely to result consequences such as irrational thoughts and the inability to face the truth. It is very evident that the protagonist makes his boat out to be a lot better in terms of functionality, prowess, and plain importance than it actually is. Valgardson’s first sentence informs readers that the boat “founder[s]” (p. 5), which is ironic due to the fact that the story is about a man’s unconditional love for his boat. It is easy to say that the protagonist goes overboard when it comes to loving his boat. The author employs personification in the passage: “He had always thought its intricacy would protect it” (p. 5), to suggest that the protagonist – the “mate” – believed that his wonder and awe for his beloved vessel would be what kept it running. The mate’s living situation is another