Quoyle, at first glance, is unremarkable: he is weak, bland and soft, a man in love with the wrong woman, a submissive son and husband, a lump for whom life is essentially a dead end. In his dullness, however, lies the existentialist purpose behind life: to endure. Quoyle is, despite superficial appearances, a survivor. He, and his daughters, and his aunt, and his friends in Killick-Claw, Newfoundland, endure – the weather, the past and the every day.
Plot Overview: Family, Trauma and Hope
In many ways, Quoyle is like Humpty Dumpty: he sat on a wall (life), he had a great fall. The difference is, while Quoyle’s shell may be cracked, it’s not completely broken. His overwhelming sense of love – a miracle in itself given his horrendous parents and abusive wife – is indestructible.
At the start of his story, Quoyle is without direction, wandering quietly and aimlessly through the hours and days. When he meets Petal Bear, a woman embodying the phrase “rode hard and put away wet,” Quoyle falls desperately in love. Petal gives him two daughters, but nothing else. She is callously unfaithful and looks at Quoyle with resentment. When she finally leaves him, and is subsequently killed in a car accident (after first trying to sell her daughters to sex traffickers), Quoyle’s grief is overwhelming. In his first real act of bravery, however, he finds his children, packs them up and moves to the family homestead in Killick-Claw with his paternal aunt, Agnis Hamm.
Newfoundland is harsh and bleak, a fitting place for a family in mourning. Quoyle eventually finds a job at The Gammy Bird, the local paper, where he writes about car accidents — an unfortunate reminder of Petal — and the shipping news. Surprisingly, he finds himself enjoying his position and making friends, including Wavey Prowse, a local woman. For the first time, Quoyle begins to garner pleasure out of life and, little by little, develop self-respect.
With Killick-Claw comes history, though, and Quoyle learns of his family’s dark past, including his father’s treatment of Agnis. But like the others in Killick-Claw standing against strong winds and icy storms, Quoyle faces the truth, absorbing the trauma and embracing his inner strength. The pillowy man endures.
Criticisms and Compliments
When it comes to writing, Proulx is a master; the only way a writer can manipulate and twist prose in an effective way is if he or she understands the rhythm and flexibility of words. Amateur writers have tried and failed to write outside of the box. Someone like Proulx, however, someone with an inherent understanding of the written word, can do so in a way that not only works on a lyrical level but also on a metaphorical one. The fragments of narrative are, perhaps, reflective of the natural speech patterns of those living in the harsh climate of Newfoundland, those conserving energy and time by saying only what is necessary. The stumps of speech are also wholly original, a unique stamp of expression in a gray, disturbing story. Of course, for most readers, it takes some time getting used to Proulx’s writing. For any reader balking at the work it takes to become accustomed to the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s style, the mental jumping jacks are worth the effort.
Aside from the depth of the novel and the distinctive storytelling, The Shipping News makes a handy vehicle for a film. Like most adaptations, the movie consolidates characters and reduces plot lines, but Kevin Spacey makes for a good Quoyle: somewhat dumpy, but gentle and loving. As a side note, Proulx insisted that a movie be filmed in Newfoundland to accurately represent the setting of her story; the result is beautiful and biting, and the image of Quoyle’s forebears dragging the family home across frozen ice and land is unforgettable.
It is an investment, but The Shipping News is a startling, moving read.
Source:
- Proulx, E. Annie. The Shipping News. Scribner, 1994 ISBN 9780671510053
