We may imagine that the family of ducks form part of the trade for the ‘Master of the boat’, yet this isn’t explicitly stated. This repetitive existence is not explained and can appear quite absurd. Every evening, they are required to once again get aboard. Each morning, Ping and his extended family leave the boat in order to hunt for food. If we assume the second possibility, we may conclude that our protagonist’s crisis and eventual resolution are in some way cosmically orchestrated or improvised by the wise boat.Īnother curiosity that rests beneath the surface of our story is centred on the very purpose of Ping’s life. Secondly, the eyes assign a personality to the boat that is akin to a Chinese Sage.

Firstly, the eyes serve no magical properties, but are instead painted onto the stern of the boat in order to create a distinguishing mark among the countless boats that share the busy river system. However, we may conclude one of two possibilities. How the ability to see, or indeed to see wisely, is useful to the boat or the storyline remains somewhat of a mystery. The curiosity here centres on the necessity for such a description. This is apparent when we are almost immediately introduced to a strange boat with ‘wise eyes’. Very early on in the story, we are introduced to concepts that would appear quite strange for the uninitiated reader.Īlthough the tale only very gently leads us into the shallow waters of imagination, there are certainly moments of intrigue.

The story about ping by marjorie flack