Love In Annie Proulx's 'The Shipping News'
Alex Wyllie Dr. Bassett IB English HL October 4 2008 The Pricking Thorns of Misplaced Love In Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News the main character Quoyle is constantly plagued by the ill placed love and vision of his wretched late wife. Quoyle is introduced and characterized as a lame excuse for a man who “survives” through parts of his life (Proulx 1). From the beginning of his life both his father and brother view him as a “failure” (Proulx 2). These two being the only two family members he grows up with this is the way that Quoyle is made to think that love is. Quoyle’s relationship with Petal Bear plagues his existence and almost forces him to lose his chance at redemption. The Shipping News is a book about a man named Quoyle and his struggle through life ultimately leading to a point later in his life when he can gain a sort of redemption. From the beginning of his life he tends to fail at various elements of life. This carries over for most of his life through the point in which he becomes a newsman. At the “Mockingburg Record”his general failure carries over into his writing that generally needs to
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While her infidelity is a strong theme of her nature Quoyleonly replies with a meek answer of “No divorce” (16). “Quoyle believed in silent suffering,” despite his constant torture consisting of Petal not recognizing their children and making love to another man in his bed (16). “He struggled to deaden his feelings, to behave well. A test of love. The sharper the pain, the greater the proof.” Quoyle did not leave this vile women that obviously hated him because he felt that everything that she put him through was simply a “test of love” the way hesaw love was pain (17). Despite only being alive in the story for a very short amount of time Petal has a large role in Quoyle’s recovery and path to a new
While her infidelity is a strong theme of her nature Quoyleonly replies with a meek answer of “No divorce” (16). “Quoyle believed in silent suffering,” despite his constant torture consisting of Petal not recognizing their children and making love to another man in his bed (16). “He struggled to deaden his feelings, to behave well. A test of love. The sharper the pain, the greater the proof.” Quoyle did not leave this vile women that obviously hated him because he felt that everything that she put him through was simply a “test of love” the way hesaw love was pain (17). Despite only being alive in the story for a very short amount of time Petal has a large role in Quoyle’s recovery and path to a new