Shipping News

Themes from American Literature

2009-12-11T16:07:00.004-05:00

It is important to be accepted by society:
This theme from American Literature is shown throughout "The Shipping News" as the characters are all trying to fit in. Quoyle is the one who finds the hardest time with this, though. As explained at the beginning of the book, Quoyle has gone through life with a very sad and pessimistic attitude. He has been living a terrible life, as "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). As shown through this description, it seems Quoyle really hasn't "been living his life" at all; just passing through life without enjoying it. When he was younger, he was tortured and made fun of by his peers for being a tall, fat, guy with a big chin. This obviously had a great affect on his character and confidence because he doesn't really have a close relationship with anybody. Proulx states that he "was learning to seperate his feeling from his life", which shows that he doesn't really know how to live. By not being accepted by society, he turned into a very lonely person who has never had the comfort of being part of something.

Another example that shows this theme in "The Shipping News" is Quoyle's father's attitude towards him. Throughout his life, Quoyle has never done anything that was "right" in his father's eyes. His father considered him a failure: "From this youngest son's failure to dog-paddle the father saw other failures multiply like an explosion of virulent cells-failure to speak clearly; failure to sit up straight; failure to get up in the morning; failure in attitude; failure in ambition and ability; indeed, in everything. His own failure" (2). Since he wasn't even accepted by his own father, his emotions were definately hurt, which showed in all of his actions. Quoyle didn't know how to be loved, which is probably why he ended up with Pearl and was taken advantage of. I feel that if he had been accepted by the people in his life when he was younger, he would have grown to be a more stable person, and his life would have turned out a lot differently.

In society, everyone wants to be accepted, and when they're not, they are greatly impacted. Quoyle has tried his whole life to be accepted, but there was always someone there to put him down: his father, his peers, and even his wife Petal. The only people that he had in his life before moving to Newfoundland was his wife, Bunny, Sunshine, and his only friend, Partridge. But once he moved to Newfoundland, many new people entered his life, and they accepted him for who he was. He begins to become a better person who now actually enjoys life, which shows how important it is for people to be accepted into society.

Knots

2009-12-09T17:47:00.004-05:00

Knots seem to be a very predominate symbol throughout The Shipping News. Even though there was not any mention of knots in the beginning of the story, I knew that they were going to be important because many chapters are named after different types of knots. At the beginning of the chapters, Proulx puts a definition of the type of knot that come from “The Ashley Book of Knots”, and the definitions relate to what happens in each particular chapter.

One example is the chapter named “Strangle Knot” and its definition is: “The strangle knot will hold a coil well…It is first tied loosely and then worked snug” -The Ashley Book of Knots. In this chapter, Quoyle's parents decide to kill themselves because they feel that it is their time to go. It seems ironic that Proulx named the chapter "Strangle Knot" since they committed suicide, but she does it for a reason. All of the different types of knots that she mentions intertwine with Quoyle's life in some way, and they also teach lessons. The different knots, whether it be The Dutch Cringle, The Mooring Hitch, A Slippery Hitch, or a Love Knot, they all serve as being a symbol for something in Quoyle's life.

Quoyle's life is like a rope: it can be altered and tied into knots to adjust to different situations. His "rope" has been affected by many things through his life, causing it to be tied in different ways in order to accomodate himself. The knots help him to grasp and hold onto what is going on, in effect making him more secure. Since he has lived in Newfoundland, it seems his "knots" have become more effective and have helped him to change his view on life.

Image Study #2

2009-12-09T17:03:00.008-05:00

Nutbeem's Boat

In Chapter 32, The Hairy Devil, Nutbeem has a going away party at his house to celebrate his upcoming trip to the Caribbean. But, during the party, many people got drunk and got the idea to sink Nutbeem's boat. "In ten minutes Nutbeem's boat was underwater, nothing showing but the roof of the cabin, like a waterlogged raft" (257). Since he was planning on traveling on his boat, he was now stuck in Newfoundland with no way to get to the Caribbean. This is significant because Newfoundland seems like a trap; many people want to leave, but they usually aren't able to. Nutbeem is stuck in this situation, as now he can't travel to the warm and sunny Caribbean, and he can't escape his life in the cold and miserable Newfoundland.

White Dog with Red Eyes

At many different times in the book, Bunny describes seeing a white dog with red eyes. Quoyle and Aunt Agnis don't believe her, though, because they have never seen it or any tracks, so they assume she is just imagining things. Her sightings began once they arrived at the old Quoyle house, and the dog always made her really scared. As Bunny keeps seeing the dog, Quoyle begins to wonder whether there is something wrong with her, and he contemplates having her see a psychologist. The dog is significant because if it isn't real, it shows that Bunny has issues, which probably have something to do with the loss of her mother, or that she is having a difficult time adjusting to her new environment.

Quoyle Cemetery

On a trip with Billy Pretty to Gaze Island, Quoyle discovers a remote cemetery where many other Quoyles are buried. Billy informs him that it is the cemetery of the Quoyles and he tells him some information about the history of his relatives. He says, "They were wrackers they say, come to Gaze Island centuries ago and made it their evil lair. Pirate men and women that lured ships onto the rocks" (171). Quoyle is surprised to learn this, as he doesn't really have any knowledge of any of his family's past. What makes the Quoyle cemetery significant is that it shows us how his family was viewed in society because they were very isolated. The cemetery and the information that Quoyle helps him to understand where he comes from and how his life is so different from theirs.

Quoyle's New Boat

When Quoyle first arrived in Newfoundland, everyone told him that he needed a boat to get from place to place. But, when he finally gave in and got one, it ended up being a bad choice. He bought an old boat from a man for a very cheap price, thinking it was a good idea, but he was proved wrong. While sailing in the ocean during a storm, the boat sinks, and Quoyle almost drowns. With the advice from Billy, Quoyle asks Alvin Yark, the best boatmaker in town, to build him a new boat. Yark explains to Quoyle what goes into making a good, strong boat, which includes using the right kind of wood. This image of the boat is important because it symbolizes Quoyle's life in a way: He started off with an old, weak boat, and he is getting a newer, stronger boat. When he first moved to Newfoundland, he was a very weak person, but while he has been there, he has started a new life, and is trying to erase his past, so that he will be a better and stronger person.

Can't Let Go

2009-12-08T19:07:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since Pearl died and Quoyle still can't seem to get over it. There always seems to be something that reminds him of Pearl, whether it be one of his daughters, Wavey, or a random person on the street. I understand that it is probably hard for him to forget about her since she was his first love and the mother of his children, but I feel like he needs to forget about her so that he can move on with his life. She caused him so much pain and hurt during their years together, which is why it seems ironic that he is affected so much by her death.
He is constantly comparing people to Pearl, especially Wavey, which makes me think that he is trying to hold on to her. His comparisons show that he really loved her and still does even after all of the heartache and trouble she put him through.

"He thought of Petal in her dress with fringe, the long legs diving down to slippers embroidered with silver bugles, Petal, darting around in a cloud of Trésor, shooting glances at her reflection in mirror, toaster, glass, flicking her fingers at Quoyle's openmouth desire. He felt a pang for this poor moth." (151)
A woman named Dawn came over to his house for dinner, and once he sees her he instantly thinks about Petal.

"Quoyle chopped at his secret path to the shore. Read his books. Played with his daughters. Saw briefly, once, Petal's vanished face in Sunshine's look. Pain he thought erupted hot. As though the woman herself had suddenly appeared and disappeared. Of course she had, in a genetic way. He called Sunshine to him, wanted to take her up and press his face against her neck to prolong the illusion, but did not." (148)
This passage shows that he really does miss her because he sees Petal in Sunshine's face and he wishes it were really her. I thought it was surprising that he wanted to "prolong the illusion" considering all of the things she did to him.

"Just to see the way she walked, a tall woman who walked miles. And Petal had never walked if she could ride. Or lie down." (129)
This quote shows Quoyle's bitter feelings towards Petal, and how much he envies a woman that is so different from her, Wavey.

Rhetoric Study

2009-12-08T18:05:00.005-05:00

Throughout The Shipping News, Proulx does a very good job providing the reader with a mental picture of what is going on. As I read it, it is very easy for me to imagine what is going on, like watching it as a movie playing in my mind. Proulx's use of vivid imagery and details add a lot of life to the seemingly gloomy town in the story, Newfoundland. During some chapters, she will go on for pages just describing the scene, while in the meantime using many different rhetorical devices to provide even more description.

"Blunt fogbows in the morning trip around the bay. Humps of color followed squalls, Billy Pretty babbled of lunar halos. Storms blew in and out. Sudden sleet changed to glowing violent rods, collapsed in rain. Two, three days of heat as though blown from a desert. Fibres of light crawling down the bay like luminous eels." (191)

During this excerpt, Proulx uses short, choppy descriptions of the bay, which seems to be her style. Although she uses many short sentences, she makes them work together well, and makes them flow together. She uses strong verbs and adjectives like "glowing violent rods" and "humps of color." She displays personification when stating "fibres of light crawling down the bay", making the light seem like it is some sort of creature. Also, she uses a metaphor when stating "two, three days of heat as though blown from a desert" and a simile when she compares the light to luminous eels.

"Wavey's little house was mint green on the ground floor, then a red sash. The boy's scarlet pajamas on the clothesline, bright as chile peppers. A pile of tapered logs, sawbuck in a litter of chips and bark, split junks of wood ready to be stacked.
Two fishermen beside the road, lean and hard as rifles, mending net in the rain, the wet beading their sweaters. Sharp, Irish noses, long Irish necks and hair crimped under billed caps. One looked up, his glance sprang from Wavey to Quoyle, searching his face, knowing him. Netting needle in hand." (183)

In this passage, Proulx again displays her love for vivid imagery as she describes Wavey's house. Everytime a new area is explored in the book, Proulx gives a description of it before going on about anything else. As she sets the scene, she uses similes such as "bright as chile peppers" and "lean and hard as rifles" to exemplify the description already provided. Then, in the last sentence, she uses an example of assonance, "netting needle in hand" which is such a simple statement, but by using assonance, makes it seem more complex.

Proulx uses many rhetorical devices, with her main ones being similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, and assonance. When she is not writing the dialogue of the characters, much of the time she is providing us with very detailed descriptions and her interesting diction helps to keep me wanting to read.

Image Study

2009-11-24T00:20:00.008-05:00

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

2009-11-23T23:19:00.004-05:00

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

2009-11-23T19:53:00.009-05:00

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

2009-11-23T18:07:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

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.