Coping with adversity in The Tin Flute
             When faced with adversity most people will do everything in their power to cope with it. If it is a persistent state of existence the natural thing to do is try and break free of what is causing the hardship. Unfortunately, there are times when no amount of effort will allow an escape from the hardships thrust upon us, and the best we can do is cope. In Gabrielle Roy's The Tin Flute extreme poverty is the hardship that must be broken free of. However, unlike stories where the human spirit overcomes life's obstacles, Roy's central characters, the Lacasse family, are continually thwarted in their attempts to break free of the poverty that surrounds them. It would seem that Roy is trying to convey the message that that there are times when despite what we may believe there are obstacles in our life that cannot be defeated or broken free of. Sometimes the best we can hope for is to simply survive. For the Lacasse family this is something they must learn. The family is led by three of its members: Azarius, the father, who holds his position as head of the household by virtue of the fact that he is male, Florentine, the eldest daughter, who is the only secure source of income the family has, and Rose-Anna, the mother, who is the force that holds the family together. For each poverty is something that they do battle with on a daily basis even though their methods may differ. And it will be a trip to a maple sugar farm that is a significant illustration of the loosing battle against poverty that Azarius, Florentine and Rose-Anna fight.
             Azarius, as the father, is the one person expected to support and protect the family. Unfortunately, instead of securing steady work he is forever looking for schemes that will get the family out of its predicament quickly, but of course always end in failure and disappointment for the family. This is clearly seen in a plan he devises during...