The Black Joke

Canadian stories, although from the same nation, each portray their own distinguishing element that is only found in the region they originate from. However, when comparisons are made between a story perhaps from Ontario, to a story from the Maritimes, the ‘single unifying and informing symbol’ can be easily determined. When comparing the Maritimes novel, “The Black Joke” by Farley Mowat, to the Ontario based short story, “Two Fishermen” by Morley Callaghan, many distinguishing events can be found. These following events then can be used to link both stories, they include: the setting, the main characters, and the aspects of uncertain suspense. As Margaret Atwood stated that Canadian literature have a ‘single unifying and informing symbol’, it is going to be proved by means of these criteria to truly figure how these stories relate to each other.

Firstly, the events of the novel and the short story occur in similar, yet different characterized settings and atmospher...