The Shipping News Study Guide

Quoyle is a thirty-six-year-old man who's had a life difficult enough to result in his being adrift within it. This story tells about a few years in his life. He decides to move to Newfoundland, where his ancestors came from to start a new life. All of his life Quoyle had been considered a failure. He was a failure according to his father and his brother. He had a large round figure and felt like he had failed at looking normal. He had red hair, clear "plastic" eyes, and a large protruding chin. (read more)