"The Hockey Sweater" and the role of symbols in national identity

In “The Hockey Sweater,” by Roch Carrier, we are shown how symbolism plays a large role in national identity and pride. This is made clear by the narrator's palpable disgust for rival team the Maple Leafs. After receiving a Maple Leafs sweater, the narrator calls it "one of the greatest disappointments" of his life, and "a very great sorrow." (Carrier 2) Though the Narrator uses hyperbole here, the importance of wearing the right (i. e. Quebec's) symbols to this québécois youth and his peers is made obvious; as we know from the introduction, the boys idolize the Montreal Canadiens and the…