Traplines

             The title of a work of fiction is very important because it is the first contact that a reader has with a piece of writing. The title of as story must be effective in that it captures the readers' attention and appropriate in that it tells readers a little of what the story is about. Traplines, by Eden Robinson, is extraordinary fiction that represents the menacing underside of family life, and the title of the story is both effective and appropriate. The word "trapline", is officially defined as a route or circuit along which a series of animal traps are set, but in this short story it has dual meanings.
             The title is very effective because it captivates the audience being an uncommon word. The title brings questions into the minds of the readers as they wonder what the meaning of traplines is and what the story has to do with traplines. It grabs the attention of the readers because it is intriguing and interesting. The allure of the title makes one want to read and figure out what traplines are.
             Traplines is an appropriate title both because traplines are part of the story and because they have an underlying significance: they represent hope of a happier time for Will. The beginning of the story tells how Will and his father set traps for the martens. Every winter the son and father trudge through the snow to the ends of several traplines. This year they trap several martens which will make a good source of income for the family. Will is excited because the family can now afford things for Christmas and he hopes this will make the family happy for once.
             However, the traplines have more than one meaning. They represent the relationships Will encounters and his loss of hope. As a poor Native, he has several traps he has to overcome but no matter how hard he tries he can not overcome these. Also, overcoming one trap leads to several more. For instance, Will is given the opportunity to move away from is abusive f...

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Traplines. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 17:28, July 01, 2025, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/7343.html