The Character Quoyle in Annie Proulx's The Shipping News

1452 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about the challenges of adulthood

"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure" - Sven Goran Eriksson. Success is an achievement in life which most people would be appreciative towards, but failure is looked upon in a disgraceful manner. People in society tend to face many challenges that occur in their daily lives. Some of these challenges can affect their lives dramatically in a positive or negative way. If one decides not to surmount their challenges they will suffer within themselves for a long period of time. Having confidence within is considered the greatest way to overcome suffering in life. In the novel, The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx, Quoyle deals with many difficult challenges along his life journey by suffering from bad childhood experiences which led him to have a low self confidence, which later on affected him in adulthood as well. All of Quoyle?s life decisions at first were base on him listening to others and continuing life suffering through it day by day but afterwards in the novel near the end, he experiences happiness for the first time. If someone is unable to overcome their bad experiences and fears in the past then they cannot be successful in the future. Also, a person should be strong and have faith in themselves to overcome their fears to fain the joy and happiness in their life. The modern day hero is distinguished as a hero with both successes and failures. A hero?s successes are determined by the hero?s power within themselves to overcome fears and obstacles and failures are determined by the hero?s weak point or flaw which leads to their predicted downfall and portrays them as an atypical hero. A hero can be depicted as an atypical hero at first but can still gain the success and happiness they longed for in the end.
...

... middle of paper ...

...ek we had the sawmill story, story on the new National Historic Park in Misky Bay, demonstration over foreign high electric rates, the shrimp processor?s strike ? good, solid local stories ? and we had to camp ?em in very hard. No pix. I mean, it would be different if it was real ads.? (Proulx, 292) This confirms Quoyle is beginning to get stronger within as an adult. The Gammy Bird newspaper always had violence in it such as the car wrecks, sexual assaults, thefts etc. There would never be any good news in their newspaper and that is what Quoyle wanted and he said how he felt towards the situation and that was a big step for him because he usually lets others make their guidelines for him. Now the newspaper can have good news in it such as a Lifestyle section for people to enjoy reading and it was all because of Quoyle putting his mind, effort and courage into it.

Show More
Related

  • Harry Potter and The Hero's Journey

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...

    Read More

  • 'The Hero Myth In O Connor Lassiter's Unwind'

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the story comes to its conclusion, the hero has endured his hardships; he went from the one that started fights to the one that thought of what could make everything work. An ordinary person in an ordinary world faced his share of trials and tribulations to come out as a new person. Defining the hero myth—he struggled and still was able to triumph to his prize at the end ; individuals relish these type of stories, they can

    Read More

  • Quoyle's Character In The Shipping News By Annie Proulx

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of all of the characters in “The Shipping News” by Annie Proulx, it is Quoyle, the story’s protagonist, who undergoes the most change. Quoyle is an extremely uncoordinated, overweight man, with a large protruding chin. Even as a child he grew up with cruel verbal abuse from his classmates, and was constantly told he was a failure by a father. As a result, Quoyle is weak, lonely, vulnerable, submissive, and truly believes that he will always be a failure. The pain from his family history and personal past continually haunts Quoyle. By separating himself from his family line of murderous and cruel abusers, Quoyle develops into a strong character, and is finally able to look at himself without feelings of self-detestation.

    Read More

  • Unbroken Vs Odyssey

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    The human need to be relatable is unquenchable. We love to be able to see parts of ourselves in others, and to be able to feel like our idols are not untouchable. The Hero’s Journey format is one that can be found in almost any story, even in real life. Overall, it is the perfect recipe for keeping readers engrossed. Another place the journey has shown up is in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Odyssey by Homer. These two stories—one a biography, the other, an epic poem—are so effective in their storytelling, it is easy to see how authors today continue to use the same method to make stories that grab the readers’ attention. What makes them most alike, however, is the emotions and thoughts they have the power to provoke.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Page One: Inside The New York Times

    1602 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the documentary film, Page One: Inside The New York Times, the inner world of journalism is revealed through journalists David Carr and Brian Stelter as the newspaper company The New York Times, struggles to keep alive within a new wave of news journalism. The film is dedicated to reveal the true inner mechanics of what modern day new journalists face on a daily basis and leaves the audience almost in a state of shock. It broadcasts news journalism as yes, an old school method of news generation, but it also highlights an important component that reveals the importance behind this “old school” methodology. We often think that progression always correlates with positive products, but the documentary insists that within the case of modern journalism, the new wave method is actually a detriment that can reap negative consequences.

    Read More

  • The Heros Journey In The Hero's Journey

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Hero's Journey Essay

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    We all are heroes of our own story, and it is a quality seen in many movies and books. The hero's journey is about progress and passage. This journey involves a separation from the unknown, known world, and a series of phases the hero must go through . Each stage of the journey must be passed successfully if the person is to become a hero. In “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, the main character Amir faces a series of trials and goes through obstacles where the concept of his childhood dies.

    Read More

  • Brief Summary Of Quoyle's Use Of Figurative Language

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    Just as nobody wants to be criticized and underestimated, so does Quoyle. While his family considers him as a root of failures and doesn’t give enough love to him, Quoyle also thinks about himself that he is not part of his family and wants to leave for somewhere. He is always despondent and not confident about his family, his appearance, and his life. However, through the picture, he finds out that he has something in common with his father. The author uses various dictions, imagery, and figurative language in order to vividly illustrate how Quoyle feels about himself and his family.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Pride and Determination

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    A man has many defining characteristics - some positive and some negative. At times, a potentially positive characteristic may cause his eventual downfall. This concept can be directly related to the story Oedipus Rex. Aristotle stated, “the tragic hero falls into bad fortune because of some flaw in his character of the kind found in men of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus.” Essentially, he is telling us that Oedipus has a flaw that, under normal circumstances, would be a beneficial characteristic, but in his case, causes his demise. The defining characteristics of pride and determination can be attributed to the downfall of Oedipus.

    Read More

  • Genoism In The Film Gattaca

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, to the above points, anyone is capable of triumphing over adversity. No matter how hard the circumstances are, each individual is able to. Unfortunately for some, they lack the need to triumph and in the end fail to beat adversity. Passion and commitment is all it takes to knock down those barriers and succeed in life. “Become the person you have always dreamt of being”.

    Read More

  • The Definition of a Hero

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.

    Read More

  • My Boy Jack: Journey's End

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    To answer this question we must address what we are actually being asked. To do this we must evaluate what a hero really is, a true hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The question of nobility in a hero is greatly debated, in order to be a hero is it a crime to know you are and feel a sense of pride and maybe over confidence in your ability? ‘Let no man call me good. I am not blest. My single virtue is the end of crimes’ meaning, heroes are those who recognise they have done something to receive respect and authority but do not brag or call themselves good, furthermore in this essay I will be evaluating on whether both authors portray their characters, mainly Stanhope, as modest and just. I will be evaluating whether they are truly worthy of being named heroes. The question of a ‘flawed hero’ is a very interesting concept, we have to wonder whether the flaws make them a hero because they can be relatable to us, someone for us to look up to, someone to be like, or whether them being flawed takes away some shine from their heroism. Stanhope is looked up to and respected by all his men, whether his drinking problem is a flaw or not, whereas Jack is still on light footing, the respect his men have for him is limited.

    Read More

  • Success Definition Essay

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    One does not fully understand the feeling of success until witnessing failure. The success portrayed on television shows ideal success, and people feel that achieving this goal is very easy. Though the legitimate feeling of success isn’t truly accepted until one fails at achieving their goal and later work twice as hard to reach that target. I can say from my own experience that this is true when I failed to pass my permit. Even though I had practiced for weeks with my parents, it still wasn’t enough. When it came time for my second try, I practiced everyday for thirty minutes for two weeks and finally passed, I was overjoyed even though it wasn’t my driver’s license. This made me realize that failure helps you understand that you have to work even harder to obtain the success you desire, and makes you feel accomplished. Another example that presents this idea is how Martin Luther King Jr. struggled to complete his success. Dr. King was a leader in the African American Civil Rights ...

    Read More

  • Adversity Analysis

    2392 Words  | 5 Pages

    Within these separate films it is clearly shown how social context can manipulate the requirements of triumph over adversity and how these eventual triumphs will often lead to a change in aspects of life. Both Cauron and Hancock show how differing social contexts can affect the outcome of a goal to triumph and demonstrate how the resulting triumph can lead to alterations of family or personality. The various aspects of both these films demonstrate an array of factors that are required to obtain the desired triumph that each protagonist strives for through the adversity they face. The adversity that these characters face is very common in the modern world and can come in any sort of shape or form. It doesn’t matter whether you are a football star or a space explorer, to triumph adversity is a common part of everyday life.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Lessons Learned From Failure

    478 Words  | 1 Pages

    Failure is not merely the reciprocal of success; moreover, it is the shadow of success waiting for the correct path of light to grow and unveil itself. Instead of being melancholy about failing, we should take our failure as an advantage to do the correct thing and succeed. After all, as said by Ellen Degeneres, “It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” I, along with the billions of other people on this planet, have failed many times in life. However, there are certain failures that can teach us a value so powerful that it can outpower the most preached teachings or morals.

    Read More

More about The Character Quoyle in Annie Proulx's The Shipping News

Open Document