Analysis of 'The Shipping News' by Annie Proulx concerning the issue 'Retreat From The Global'

Essay by dj_hoboHigh School, 12th gradeA, May 2004

download word file, 6 pages 4.1 2 reviews

Downloaded 62 times

The Shipping News

Not so long ago, countries and communities were identifies on their culture and heritage, it was what made us unique to our homeland. But in recent years, through the breaking down of communication and social barriers, the degree of separation that once defined our culture has diminished. As a result, our unique ways, our identity is being lost. The cause of this loss, globalisation is steaming ahead at an increasing speed and poses great risks to the local communities. Sterile corporate giants consumed with wealth and materialism were now overrunning communities, which once defined who we were, by helping the individual with warm communal spirit and friendships. This can be seen in the town of Killick-Claw in the novel, "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx. This novel reflects the contempory 'ideal' of globalisation, however also provides resistance to it through the local, in the lovable charactors in the small town community who band together to ward off the global, to save their identity.

It is thus through the local, Proulx represents resistance to the global.

Annie Proulx shows resistance to this mainstream through either support of the local or criticism of the global. Through the development of the main character, Proulx juxtaposes the global aspect of his life to the local, forcing a comparison of the two in order to show the reader the positive aspects of the local contrasts to the negative aspects of the global.

The story begins with a jaded Quoyle, battered and bruised by his time in the global city. His only way of survival is to numb himself of the pain, to adapt to a life of misery and failure. He learnt to 'separate his feelings from his life', but more importantly, yet devastatingly he was 'going nowhere', 'waiting for...