Annie Proulx's Language and Diction in the Shipping News

Annie Proulx's language and diction in the story is interesting. Instead of writing in complete sentences shes writes small phrases. Although the phrases and random words may sound confusing and out of place I think that they give a much more clear representation of the setting and the story. Instead of using long word sentences Proulx uses specific words that stand out in the reader's mind. It helps the reader picture everything easily and she really gets the point across with one concise and powerful word the words definitely helped convey the mood and tone that Proulx was trying to get across. For example when Proulx says” A great damp of loaf of a body. At six he weighed 80 pounds . At sixteen he was buried under a casement of flesh . Head shaped like a crenshaw, no neck, reddish hair ruched back. features as bunched as kissed fingertips. Eyes the color of plastic. The monstrous chin, a freakish shelf jutting from the lower face.”

Proulx also uses details to give attention to Quoyle to say that he does not have a very happy life and to his dad he was a big failure. His dad used to throw him in the water as a little kid to see if he knew how to swim; Ever since his father threw him in the water and seen him fail to swim he also has seen other failures in him. His father said “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.”This affects quoyle in many ways by ruining his self esteem also because his father gave most of his attention to his other son Dick the fathers