Earlier this week Alice wrote a very concise reflection on "The Hockey Sweater." Here it is:
This story, by Roch Carrier, is set in Quebec in 1945. Quebec is the French area of Canada.
The protagonist is a young boy who loves playing hockey. He tries to imitate the famous player, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. In fact, the leader of the Montreal Canadians is so loved by all the guys in the story, everyone wears his uniform (the red, white and blue) with the precious number 9 on their backs.One day the sweater of the protagonist becomes too small and so tattered, his mother decides to write a letter to Mr. Eaton, the owner of a big company based in Toronto, ordering a new uniform for her son.
Unfortunately, the sweater sent to the family is not the right one. It's the white and blue uniform of the Maple Leafs, the Toronto team.
In spite of all of all these efforts not to wear the sweater of the rivals of his hero, Maurice Richard, eventually the protagonist goes to a hockey game with his new blue and white sweater.
At the rink, nobody wants him to play and because of this unfair behaviour, he hits the ice with violence, breaking his stick.
Then, the curate shouts at the boy, telling him to go to the church to ask God's pardon. The boy does this, but asks God to send him a thousand moths that would eat his Maple Leafs sweater."The Hockey Sweater" is really popular in Canada. In fact, this short story makes everyone understand about French Canada by looking through the eyes of the boy. Readers can better understand what Quebecers thought of the contrast between the Quebec, craving for a new kind of independence, and the rest of Canada.
