ipl-logo

Relationships In Quoyle's The Shipping News

638 Words3 Pages

Relationships are based on the different ways in which people are connected, perhaps by history, family roots, and similar experiences. It may be impossible to change one’s past experiences, but there is potential to alter the effect of which it will impact one’s present and future interactions with others. In this section of the novel “The Shipping News” the imagery highlights the main protagonist’s, Quoyle’s past and present relationships with his family and Wavey. Throughout these chapters, the imagery and Quoyle’s surrounding setting help him comprehend a larger portion of his family and their past. While on Gaze Island, which Quoyle thinks of as “…a secret and ruined place. Desolate, and the slyness of the hidden tickle gave the sense …show more content…

The epigraph of chapter 24 reads “The difference between the Clove Hitch and Two Half Hitches is exceedingly vague in the minds of many, the reason being that the two have the same knot form; but one is tied around another object. the other around its own standing part.” (190) These knots tie nicely with the intracity of Quoyle’s and Wavey’s relationship. The knot tied around itself represents the tension and build up of overwhelming emotions that both characters possess. Knots are simple fragments of strings looped, twisted and unclearly woven into elaborate patterns. They are difficult to comprehend and complicated, just like feelings of love and desire. Both Wavey and Quoyle are unsure of what lies at the end of the labyrinth of their emotions. Deep down in the center of their knotted emotions, they may know how they feel, but the tricky part is seeing past the layered rope. However, the knot tied around another object highlights the connections, both characters have with other people who have tied them down and prevented them from letting go of their past. Both these characters have had ill ending relationships with their partners that have resulted in a warped definition of trust in others. However, knots can be untied and retied. As the two start developing feelings for each other, they begin to tie

Show More
Related
975 Words | 4 Pages

Revealing Finny’s Character Through the Setting John Knowles’ fictional novel, A Separate Peace, centers around the story of Gene Forrester and his friend Finny, two teenage boys enrolled in a private boarding school during the early 1940s. While the actions and events in the text allow the reader to gain an understanding of the characters, the setting itself provides a great deal of insight about each character’s personality, especially Finny’s. In numerous ways, Knowles uses the setting of his novel to help reveal various aspects of Finny’s character, such as his natural leadership abilities, his peerless athleticism, and his innate charisma. Throughout the text, Finny constantly displays his natural authority and leadership skills.

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

Chuck Palahniuk once said, “We’ve spent so much time judging what other people created, that we’ve created very, very little of our own.” Bruton, the protagonist in the short story “Welding with Children” is a very subjective character that judges all around him, yet fails to realize that he has a relatively colossal problem in his life. There is discord within his family and specifically with his grandchildren and Bruton becomes conscious that the past has caught up with him. Tim Gautreaux’s characterization of Bruton portrays a comical, yet compassionate image of how judgement and lack thereof can cause a character’s perspective to change and establish a theme. Gautreaux uses the protagonist’s judgement of his own family and others to give a vision into his present and past life, but when he is judged, he is revolutionized and makes an effort to redeem and restore his character.

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine living your everyday life in a town named Tangerine, where natural disasters commonly occur. This is the situation that the protagonist, Paul Fisher, has been enduring ever since his family moved to Tangerine, Florida. The novel, Tangerine written by Edward Bloor, describes how Paul Fisher sees the world through his thick-rimmed goggles due to his damaged eyesight from “staring at an eclipse.” Paul has to be circumspect around bullies and his older brother, Erik, who seems to have dissoluteness living inside of him.

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

Many people think of their best friends, and they are happy to see them, want to do things with them, and are just generally glad to have them around. However, in John Knowles’s A Separate Peace, this is not the case with friends Phineas and Gene. In this novel, Knowles uses the protagonist, Gene forrester, to help show how betrayal can ruin friendships.

Read More
1350 Words | 6 Pages

This book is a major example of how certain decisions can affect one’s life. Both Wes’ had similar lives, yet they ended up in different paths. There are few factors why they ended up having different paths and those factors are; parental support and figures, the environment style, and the social influences. In The Other Wes Moore, family ties are very strong and both families of the two boys had certain expectations for them, but one family more than the other.

Read More
371 Words | 2 Pages

William Stafford’s style of writing cultivated me in many ways. Throughout this piece, there has been many cliffhangers which want you to keep on reading. There were always questions such as, “what is going to happen next?” or “I wonder why this is happening.” Every question has an answer and all of mine were solved throughout the entire following of the writing.

Read More
1014 Words | 5 Pages

The realistic fiction novel Tangerine, written by Edward Bloor, follows the tale of a dysfunctional family and the dark secrets that they are slowly discovering within themselves. The author uses the motif -a repeated theme or idea in the story- of sight to further the story and in doing so, gives the character better understanding of each other and the truth. Through the motif of sight, Paul -the main character in the novel- has a growing understanding of his friends, family, and himself. The first group Paul experiences a growing understanding of is his friends.

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

In this essay, I will be talking about all the hardships that Lyddie had to push through and how bad their lives were back then. Many young girls, working as young as ten, had many harsh conditions already. Starting in chapter 3, which was the cutler's tavern, Lyddie got her first job. Even in the beginning, you could tell it was going to be a harsh time for the rude comments given by the owner. For example, “ “Go along” the woman was saying.

Read More
1361 Words | 6 Pages

When Reef overhears his grandfather expressing a negative perspective on life, it has the potential to diminish his sense of care and purpose. As a young boy, this could lead Reef to make reckless decisions that could harm himself or others. Growing up with these beliefs unknowingly affects Reef's decision-making process. The quote serves as a prime example of how family influence shapes Reef’s worldview and the choices he makes. In addition, When Reef was feeling sick in the car when he was little his grandmother gave him a stone, he called it the “sick stone” “‘It's a sick-stone,’ she explained when his grandfather had gotten back in the car.

Read More
1401 Words | 6 Pages

Kidd uses the characterization of Lily, T. Ray, May, and Deborah to demonstrate the theme that people’s lives are more complex than they appear. By using these characters, Kidd demonstrates how judgements are made about people based on their actions. People don’t always think about how a person really feels on the inside and they do not know about everything that goes on in their head. This is a theme that is significant to the world at any time period because everyone can relate to it. Therefore, the theme of this story is significant in people’s lives

Read More
1746 Words | 7 Pages

One major theme authors universally write their stories around concern the power of human relationships. Though writers may take different paths to communicate this, the strength that comes from these unique connections that exist between individuals resonates with everyone. Authors clearly articulate through a myriad of rhetorical devices that maintaining relationships is a fundamental part in personal growth and allows for a stronger sense of self. In finding companionship and comradery. people become capable of evolving and arriving at better understandings of who they are.

Read More
105 Words | 1 Pages

There are many times humans act differently because of someone else. The outlooks of human behaviors depend on the negative or positive influences that surround a person. People act the way they are because of the external forces that affect them. Likewise throughout history, many authors and poets create their work of literatures based on the external forces. Often times, the message that these authors and poets reveals not only has universal themes, but also can connect to people’s life stories.

Read More
788 Words | 4 Pages

A theme that is commonly explored throughout Winton’s texts is the building and breaking of relationships. The target audience may find this a relevant and relatable theme as most, if not everyone has experienced the making of a relationship whether it be as simple as a bond with a parent or family member, a friendship or with a partner of interest as well as, on the other hand, being unfortunate enough to experience one of those possible relationships being broken. All three stories have clear example of relationships as Winton goes through one of the two (building or breaking) with each protagonists of the stories. For

Read More
585 Words | 3 Pages

Chapters 35-39 of The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx, bring the themes of family roots and change, which have been slowly building, to a satisfying point. The two themes correlate - when Quoyle faces his family roots, he is able to let go of the past and build a future for himself, changing his outlook on life and his immediate family situation. Quoyle going to visit his cousin Nolan and remarking on his seemingly sane mind marks him making peace with his family roots and his past in general. He brings Nolan a present, a framed photograph of a poodle, and offers to inquire about a nursing home in Killick-Claw for him. Quoyle is originally disgusted by his ancestry of pirates and an old madman, but his kindness toward Nolan in chapter 36

Read More
609 Words | 3 Pages

For some of my family the search for individuality is an ongoing process. In fact, my family and the family in “Everyday Use” share similarities and differences when it comes to actions of young people, the treatment of children, and relationships between family members. Firstly, the young people in my family and in the short story share similarities and differences when it comes to our actions. Dee, known as Wangero, and I have some similarities.

Read More

More about Relationships In Quoyle's The Shipping News

Related Topics

Open Document