Apologia

In Crabbe by William Bell the themes consists of survival, stress, and adventure.Willaim Bell "grew up in Toronto and attended the Ontario College of Education. He completed an MA in Literature and an MEd at the University of Toronto. Bell has taught English to high school and university students in Canada and China"(Canadian Encyclopedia).Survival is the most common theme that is present in Canadian literature as stated by Margaret Atwood "that most Canadian literature deals with victims of various types and that "grim survival" is its central theme"(Canadian Encyclopedia). Crabbe's problems can be related to everyday life especially amongst teenagers and how Crabbe seems to resolve stress "by his life as one of the wealthy, privileged people in society, the life where not one move he makes is his own choice".This book deserves to be part of Canadian literature because the story can be related to every day problems and it has the common theme, survival.

Stress is evident in the novel because Crabbe has too many conflicts within himself, people and society. He has conflicts with people like his parents,Grant,Dr.Browne, and himself even though he is "one of the wealthy, privileged people in society(Curdupkids). Crabbe "grew up in a house where I was told what I thought or how I should think"(Bell 18). This is what caused Crabbe to take up an adventure so he could find himself personally and emotionally and says that it is the "independent, creative thing I've done in my life, and the one thing I've done for me"(Bell 18).
"Crabbe" is about a "rebellious 17-year-old who runs away from home to live in the Ontario wilderness" (Canadian Encyclopedia). In school Crabbe did not want to take gym in school because he "hated phys.ed and everything about it-the swamp smell of the locker room"(Bell 23).By doing that he did not really find himself. He couldn't choose what he wanted to do in school. These circumstances are common for many teenagers because they have to make important decisions or else it may affect the rest of their lives. Crabbe was not given that opportunity to make a decision by himself. It was always his parents who made decisions for Crabbe.

Adventure is also an important theme in the novel because it helps Crabbe bring out his inner self and it becomes the one and only exiting event he has accomplished in his life so far. By taking up a challenge by himself he learns that being independent and making decisions can be fun unless the skills of that certain circumstances are low considering that he was close to death because his paddling techniques were wrong until Mary entered his life. Some elements of adventure in the novel is when Mary and Crabbe raid a "hunt camp"(Bell 102), and when Crabbe runs away from home.

When Crabbe goes to the woods his skills of survival are low, considering that the last time he went camping was with his father "a few years earlier"(Bell 20).In fact he was close to death when he went over the waterfall and remained "suspended for a split second in mid air"(Bell 63). Then Mary Pallas comes to save him, and teaches Crabbe some essential skills like "gutting the fish"(Bell 75) and following trails. Crabbe learns how to survive in the wild and society, by Mary's advice especially when she says " 'You've got a good reason to feel good about yourself-and you do-then do it. You don't need any body's permission.'"(Bell 89). Crabbe needs to believe in himself that he can do anything before he can expect society and family to believe in him.

Out of all these themes the one that appeals the most in Canadian Literature and this novel is survival because Crabbe learns not only to survive in the woods but he also learns how to survive in society. By going out for an adventure in the wild, he has gained survival skills, which can help solve problems within himself and society, therefore reducing stress, by the advice and help of Mary Pallas.So the themes adventure and stress are connected by one theme, survival, which is why I think that survival is the main theme of the novel. Crabbe has difficulty "explaining myself"(Bell 18). Crabbe was "brought to this hospital extremely run down-physically-and on the verge of emotional disturbance"(Bell 15). In conclusion this book deserves to be recognized in Canadian literature because the main theme in the novel, survival, is common in Canadian literature, and the book resolves Crabbe's problems in a very realistic manner that can be compared to everyday teenage problems.