Hi, I would need some professional assistance to develop my next PhD chapter on 3 short stories of Alistair MacLeod. This chapter should be focused on The Boat, The return, Island and Vision. I think the idea of exploring the difference of perspective and connection of the women and men with their local landscape/environment presented in these short stories would be an original approach. Some thoughts concerning the texts include the impact an individual’s gender has on the way in which they interact with the landscape, what determines whether a harsh environment has a positive or negative impact on an individual? Can men and women experience the same landscape differently? Does the local landscape express something in particular about the Atlantic Canadian way of life and what it means to be a Maritimer of Scottish descent? MacLeods female characters are especially shaped by the conditions of the landscape, ex. The woman in the story island. In real life men and women bring their own personal knowledge, experience and emotions to interpret the world they live in. The natural world offer great beauty but also terrible dangers and the value of the local landscape contrast with the restlessness of the young people of the next generation. Men and women fulfill separate, traditional roles in the family and often fail to communicate. MacLeod depicts the proud strength of the people who rise to the challenges presented by the landscape. Women, such as the mothers in ‘The Boat’ and’ The Return, fiercely defend their lifestyle and despise the compromises their children have made to lead city lives. The men who stay accept their destinies more meekly. Some take refuge in drink while others silently endure the burden of physical labour, putting aside their own wistful dreams. The father in ‘The Boat’ encourages his children to pursue the education he longed for, to escape the limitations of the landscape. He sees the value of embracing a larger landscape to understand the world. In Island the young woman may be seen as innocent and vulnerable and isolated totally connected to the landscape. In Vision the landscape may mirror the characters psychological or emotional life. The inner lives of men and women may be embedded in the landscape itself which may play a major role in the unfolding of events. This short story is a complex one with many sub stories, it may require a special attention.
