Image Study

As the different boats and areas of Newfoundland are described, I imagine that it would look something like this. Newfoundland is surrounded by water, so boats are the main mode of transportation, and I picture there being boats in sight for as far as the eye can see. Also, this picture brings out the description of the smell that Aunt Agnis mentions when they first arrive.

"The sea's hypnotic boil, the smell of blood, weather and salt, fish heads, spruce smoke and reeking armpits, the rattle wash-ball rocks in hissing wave, turrs, the crackery taste of brewis, the bedroom under the eaves" (33). When looking at the picture, I am reminded of the beach, which brings along some of the smells that Agnis recalls.

The old house on Quoyle's Point is falling apart, as it is very old and nobody has lived in it for many years. The roof has holes in it and the boards on the sides are falling off. I think this picture accurately depicts what the house might look like because it is in really bad shape, and it looks like it has been abandoned for a long time.

When first arriving in Newfoundland, the town is described as being very enclosed and surrounded by "icebergs that resemble a prison." I can imagine them looking out into the distance, with the only thing in sight being ships and icebergs. The icebergs help to represent the isolation of the town and how Quoyle and his family are away from "society", which will help them to begin their new lives.

Personal Response

I have continued reading The Shipping News and I am almost to the half-way mark. So far in the story, nothing too exciting has really happened. I am really surprised because when reading about it, I envisioned there to be a lot more emphasis on the "kidnapping" that took place and the selling of the kids. But, the whole event was covered in about two pages.
I wouldn't say I'm disappointed with the story, but it's not at all what I expected. Proulx's diction is very detailed and it is easy to imagine what is going on. But sometimes, for me, it becomes a little too much detail and I feel like it is a never-ending description. Towards the beginning of the book, Proulx used the most imagery and details, I think mostly so that the readers can picture the story develop in their heads. After a chapter or two, a little more action begins to happen, and I was able to get an idea of where she is going with the story. Proulx's sentence structure is also different from books that I have read before. She uses many short, choppy sentences, which makes it a little harder to read than long sentences because they don't flow very well. One thing I do like, though, about her writing is that sometimes there are sentences that seem really random they create humor. She will say something that isn't expected at all which helps to break up the normal arrangement of the sentences.

Although my initial expectation of the book was that it was going to be very interesting and involve a fair amount of drama, I have realized that the story is about Quoyle's journey to becoming a different man and obtaining a better life for himself and his two girls. At the point in the story that I am at, some issues concerning Bunny have surfaced. She has claimed to see different things that have scared her, but Quoyle doubts that there was actually anything there. Does it have something to do with Petal's death or has something else happened to her that have prompted the visions? I am excited to see what is revealed in the next chapters because this was an unexpected twist in the plot.

*Main Characters*

Within the first few chapters all of the main characters have been introduced. They include Quoyle, Pearl, Aunt Agnis Hamm, Bunny, and Sunshine.

Quoyle: Quoyle is the main character and the story revolves around him and his family. When he is first introduced he is described as being flawed, having a "head shaped like a crenshaw, no neck, reddish hair scrunched back. Features as bunched as kissed fingertips. Eyes the color of plastic. The monstrous chin, a freakish shelf jutting from the lower face" (2). All of his features cause him to loose confidence in himself, which makes him very shy and quiet. He has been called a failure by his father ever since he was little, which has also added to the way he feels about himself. He seems to live a miserable life and he wants to just get through life. "He survived childhood; at the state university, hand clapped over his chin, he camouflaged torment with smiles and silence. Stumbled through his twenties and into his thirties learning to seperate his feelings from his life, counting on nothing" (1). This shows that he is ashamed of himself and he isn't living his life to the fullest. He is described as being very lonely and he doesn't really talk to anyone, until he meets his wife Pearl, and finds himself caring for someone.

Pearl: One of the only people close to Quoyle, Pearl is Quoyle's wife. She is very unlike Quoyle; she speaks her mind and she has a very strong personality. At she and Quoyle's first meeting, she came right out and said, "You want to marry me, don't you? Don''t you think you want to marry me?" (13). She shows she is fearless because she says and does whatever she wants, without caring about the consequences. But, her actions show that she might be a little crazy and that she isn't aware of the effect of her actions. Pearl almost seems to have multiple identities; "By day she sold burglar alarms at Northern Security, at night, became a woman who could not be held back from strangers' rooms, who would have sexual conjunction whether in stinking test rooms or mop cupboards. She went anywhere with unknown men. Flew to nightclubs in distant cities. Made pornographic video while wearing a mask cut from a potato chip bag" (14). Pearl is obviously very promiscuous and not very loyal to her husband. She seems to always look for something that she doesn't have in order to fill a void in her life.

Aunt Agnis Hamm: Quoyle's Aunt Agnis arrives first arrives after the death of his parents, which was brought upon by their own suicides. Agnis helps Quoyle through the troubling times, which also includes the "kidnapping" of his daughters by his wife. She is a motivator to help Quoyle move on with his life and improve his outlook on the future. She praises Quoyle's reaction to the kidnapping, saying "You're good hearted. Some would curse her mangled body for selling the little girls" (24). She is very encouraging, which provides Quoyle with a relationship unlike any other he has had before. She is very helpful to him, even offering to help Quoyle and his girls to move to Newfoundland and stay with them and get settled. Agnis' wisdom provides much assistance to Quoyle as she stays with him and helps him start a whole new life in an unfamiliar territory.

Bunny: Bunny is the oldest of the two daughters, six years old, described as being smart, with "reddish hair and freckles like chopped grass on a wet dog" (22). Bunny seems to be a normal kid, until Quoyle begins to notice that there might be something wrong with her. He points out that she had claimed to see a white dog with red eyes numerous times, when actually nothing was there. "She was like a kettle of water, simmering and simmering, or in noisy boil before the pot goes dry and cracks, or sometimes cold, with a skim of mineral flowers on the surface" (132). Quoyle tries to figure out what is causing all of the strange "sightings" to happen, which might in fact be influenced by Petal's death.

Sunshine: Sunshine is the youngest of the two and has "wee beauty in her frowst of orange curls" (22). Sunshine behaves like the average child and younger sibling, acting out in jealousy and anger. She follows Bunny's behavior and always wants to do the same things she does, which is shown as Sunshine cries "I want to do that" (123) as Bunny plays with a car. It is not apparent, but the death of her mother Petal might have had an effect on her.

Wavey: Wavey is a tall woman Quoyle sees often while driving down the streets of Newfoundland. Her stride catches his eye and he sees her as being very graceful. A car ride together shows that she is very proper, "she sat straight, feet nearly side by side." She is soft-spoken and very quite, but Quoyle finds something about her very attracting. She is the complete opposite of Petal, which might be why he is so interested in her.

Missing Children

Without notice, Pearl quits her job and runs away with her two kids and a man in a red Geo. Quoyle returns home and is informed by Mrs. Moosup that his wife had taken the kids away and was going to leave them with someone in Connecticut. Quoyle is completely shocked and says, "She took the kids? She'd never take the kids" (22). His reaction shows that he really doesn't even know his own wife, because doing something like this wasn't exactly "crazy" for her. It is also strange that he can't believe she would do it considering her feelings towards the kids. When Petal found out she was pregnant, "she threw her purse on the floor like a dagger, kicked her shoes at Quoyle and said she'd get an abortion" (23). So, it is obvious that she never really wanted kids in the first place, so she finds it easy to get rid of them.

Instead of being angry at Pearl for taking away the most valuable things in his life, he sort of blames himself. He says, "Some people probably thought she was bad, but I think she was starved for love. I think she just couldn't get enough love. That's why she was the way she was. Deep down she didn't have a good opinion of herself. Those things she did-they reassured her for a little while. I wasn't enough for her" (24). Quoyle's reaction to what Pearl did is very unnormal for a situation like that. Usually, the person would usually being raging with anger and hate, but Quoyle tries to reason out why she would do it and find a way to justify what she did. Although it shows that Quoyle has very good character, it also shows his weakness because he turns the situation around to make it seem like he caused her to do it, when he didn't.

Quoyle and Pearl

In the beginning of The Shipping News, we meet Quoyle, a lonely man. He doesn't really have any friends and his embarassment over some of his physical attributes cause him to lack confidence. His wife, Pearl, is introduced in the story, and she makes up for the assertiveness that Quoyle lacks. She is very demanding and it seems like she is the one who has control of the relationship.

Quoyle and Pearl's relationship isn't exactly perfect. Even once they have had their first child together, they don't seem like their relationship improves at all. Pearl spends most of her evenings out, while Quoyle stays at home with their daughter. Many instances show that they don't feel the same way towards eachother; Quoyle has deep feelings for Pearl while she is constantly out with other men. One time, while Pearl calls Quoyle to get a recipe for a drink, she tells him just how she feels about their relationship. "Look, it's no good. Find yourself a girlfriend-there's plenty of women around" (16). Quoyle reacts by saying that he only wants to be with her, but she denies him, saying that they need to get a divorce.

Quoyle being with a woman like Pearl shows that he is just looking for someone to care for and to care for him, and he doesn't want to believe that she isn't the right person for him. It also shows that he is kind of weak because she constantly uses him and he doesn't do anything about it. Everyone takes advantage of him and his wife is no exception.