Figurative Language In Annie Proulx's The Shipping News
In The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, readers can imply that the protagonist has lived a treacherous life onto which he wishes to set change upon, but cannot see the dear light of opportunity. Quoyle is an aging man, who is still learning to separate his feelings from his personal life. He wallows in misery, as day by day passes; however, he cannot help but wonder why nothing can seem to make sense to him. Annie Proulx uses characterization, figurative language and imagery to contribute to the overall meaning of the story.
In the opening of the story, Quoyle is shown to be a cowardly, gutless, lump of a man, who is a failure at everything that is thrown in his life’s path. The story shows that the protagonist cannot do anything to bring his …show more content…
It is very easy to picture what Quoyle looks like as the Proulx uses plenty of figurative language and literary devices. In paragraph 3 where he is constantly thrown into the water by his father, “And Quoyle feared water, could not swim. Again and again the father had broken his clenched grip and thrown him into pools, brooks, lakes and surf. Quoyle knew the flavor of brack and waterweed.” In this phrase, it is simple to see how Quoyle was being shoved, pushed and harassed into the water by his father. It is a straightforward image where Quoyle is scared and terrified of water because his body would not allow for him to be buoyant. He was abused and forced to go against his easy-going ways of life. He was changed and scarred as a young boy. Since then, all he wanted to do was “cherished the idea that he had been given to the wrong family” in paragraph 8. Quoyle was seen as a failure in ambition and ability because his failure superseded everything he has have ever known. He was a prodigy at what always went wrong. In paragraph 5 where he is taunted by his brother, “Snotface. Ugly pig. Warthog. Stupid. Stinkbomb. Greasebag.” There you can imagine him cowering from his brother. Hiding from the rest of the world because he could not stand the taunts and mocking from
In the opening of the story, Quoyle is shown to be a cowardly, gutless, lump of a man, who is a failure at everything that is thrown in his life’s path. The story shows that the protagonist cannot do anything to bring his …show more content…
It is very easy to picture what Quoyle looks like as the Proulx uses plenty of figurative language and literary devices. In paragraph 3 where he is constantly thrown into the water by his father, “And Quoyle feared water, could not swim. Again and again the father had broken his clenched grip and thrown him into pools, brooks, lakes and surf. Quoyle knew the flavor of brack and waterweed.” In this phrase, it is simple to see how Quoyle was being shoved, pushed and harassed into the water by his father. It is a straightforward image where Quoyle is scared and terrified of water because his body would not allow for him to be buoyant. He was abused and forced to go against his easy-going ways of life. He was changed and scarred as a young boy. Since then, all he wanted to do was “cherished the idea that he had been given to the wrong family” in paragraph 8. Quoyle was seen as a failure in ambition and ability because his failure superseded everything he has have ever known. He was a prodigy at what always went wrong. In paragraph 5 where he is taunted by his brother, “Snotface. Ugly pig. Warthog. Stupid. Stinkbomb. Greasebag.” There you can imagine him cowering from his brother. Hiding from the rest of the world because he could not stand the taunts and mocking from