To Love (old English essay for you if you are interested) Reading this now, I think I did a horrible job. Hey, that's life. I believe these are two Canadian Books.

TO LOVE By: Silva Redigonda To Love Love between a man and a woman is powerful, so powerful, that the passion found in that first love influences future relationships. This essay will demonstrate how the difference of characters between Quoyle in The Shipping News and Will in Medicine River influence Quoyle's relationship with Wavey, and Will's relationship with Louise, through stages which progresses to fulfillment for Quoyle and Wavey but not for Will and Louise. To Be The Shipping News depicts Quoyle as a man doomed from the beginning of his life as indicated in the beginning of the text, "raised in a shuffle of dreary upstate towns…he survived childhood…at the state university…he camouflaged torment with smiles and silence. Stumbled through his twenties and into his thirties…counting on nothing." (Proulx, p1) Proulx uses repetition of the word "failure" to re-inforce Quoyle's father's image of his son; paving a road to Quoyle's destiny to failure and insecurities, "failure to dog-paddle…failure to speak clearly; failure to sit up straight; failure to get up…failure in attitude; failure in …everything…All stemmed from…a failure of normal appearance." (Proulx p 2) Quoyle also has an abusive relationship with his brother Dick, who calls him derogatory names such as "Ugly Pig,…stupid"(Proulx, p2) etc…Quoyle seems like a nice guy just wanting to be liked and to enjoy the company of others, "For Quoyle was a failure at loneliness, yearned to be gregarious, to know his company was a pleasure to others."(Proulx, p 4) King depicts Will as a Canadian Native who loses his right of Indian status due to his mother marrying a white man and therefore is deprived not only of a father who leaves him at a young age and later dies, but of his Native culture (King, pg7, 8 &9). The difference between Will and Quoyle is that Will has a positive relationship with his brother and mother. Despite being robbed of his native rights, Will has the love and support from his family and community. His mother supports him in his youth, "Will's the athlete in the family…James is the artist"(King, p 13). Though poor, Will's mother manages to buy him good shoes when he tells her that his teacher told him that he played basketball well."(King, p 13) Though Will played tricks on his brother, James seemed complacent in return. "I had expected James to be angry about his drawings, but all he talked about was the eagle and how he was going to do the whale next." This establishes a healthy relationship between him and his brother with the usual pranks. Will seems to have adopted his mother's philosophy in life, "My mother had a favourite expression for all those times in life when things didn't make sense or couldn't be explained.""That's the way things are,""she'd say. It was more of a way of managing the bad times. …My mother would just shrug and get on with what she was doing."(King, p252) This philosophy explains Will's accepting nature, throughout the text excluding his own obsession with the father he never was allowed to know. At the age of twenty five he begins to invent his father, "My father is a senior engineer with Petro-Canada…My father is a pilot, doctor…lawyer…."(King, p78, 79,80,) and on it continues. Will creates the possibilities of who his father could have been. Quoyle who did have a father knew how cruel one could be. The characters of both men seem to be predicted by the way they were treated and their opportunities growing up. Will rather complacent and accepting, longing for the father he never really knew and Quoyle suffering a complex after being put down for most of his young life. New Love Quoyle and Wavey as well as Will and Louise progress through different stages in their relationships. Both Wavey and Louise have children, yet Louise's child is very important to Will and a major focus in his life while Wavey's child is rarely mentioned. This is no surprise since Will understands the need to have a father, while Quoyle would not have such a focus. The relationship between Quoyle and Wavey develops slowly and they eventually marry. Will too progresses through stages that seem more sudden and consistent but ultimately leaves the reader feeling that the relationship needs to continue towards development into another stage. These stages continue to reflect Quoyle and Will's characters and how they progress through a new love after having suffered a broken heart from their first loves. Quoyle notices Wavey, "Saw her. The tall woman in the green slicker…A calm, almost handsome face, ruddy hair in braids…Looked right at him. They waved simultaneously and Quoyle guessed she must have legs like a marathon runner."(Proulx, p 86) Quoyle begins to think of her, " …the tall woman, Wavey, came to mind. He looked…to see if she was walking…He pulled up, glad she was alone, that he was too." (Proulx, p 128) The initial stage has begun. King in Medicine River begins the novel with Will already knowing Louise, "I took my tax forms to Louise too." (King, 25) It is Harlen, who reveals to him that Louise has an interest in him, "You know, after the game, Louise Heavyman came over and asked where you were. Good-looking woman, Louise." (King, p 21) Will's response is simply, "Sure." (King, p 21) This ritual of Harlen talking about Louise, and Will not seemingly interested continues, "The next time I see Louise…."states Harlen …"Hmmmmmmm." replies Will ( King, p 28). Will's response to Louise being pregnant and unwed and Harlen's suggestion of taking her out is, "I don't want to get married." (King, p 31) After Harlen's consistent nagging, Will does go to see Louise to take her out to lunch, "I felt like a real ass walking into Louise's office the next day. I probably wouldn't have gone, but Harlen knew me too well. He picked me up and drove me over."(King, p 32). Will seems to lack motivation to a point where it appears he has no interest in Louise initially, while Quoyle has an immediate interest with Wavey and has never lacked motivation to be accepted. When Quoyle sees Wavey he studies her at a glance, "Quoyle glanced, saw her pale mouth, neck, eyes…But that sense of harmony with something, what, the time or place. He didn't know but felt it. She turned her head, caught him looking. Eyes flicked away again. But both were pleased." (Proulx, 129). There seems to be a mutual attraction igniting. Quoyle realizes that he is developing an infatuation for Wavey. "Watched her run up the school steps and in through the door. What was wrong with him?" (Proulx, p 129) Will too demonstrates an interest in Louise, displayed when he initiates his own contact. Will calls Louise after the first awkward visit to lunch which never materialized, '"What the hell.""Louise,""I said, ""it's Will. About the lunch date…""…."I was sweating when I got off the phone, and my heart was racing. And I didn't call Harlen." Will does want to take Louise out to lunch. It appears both men have come to the realization that they have a love interest. Quoyle is excited about driving Wavey to the library when she asks for a ride to her work "Friday and Tuesday afternoons…Didn't want to get excited. For God's sake, giving someone a ride to the Library. But he was." (Proulx, p 146) He readily makes himself available. Quoyle's and Wavey's relationship is about to enter another stage, a sexual one, which is stopped by Wavey. "He held out his arms. No mistaking what he meant. Transfixed, she hardly breathed. One flicker of movement and he'd be all over her…And afterwards some silent agreement, some sore complicity, betrayal."(Proulx, p 193 & 194) Louise maintains a similar distance with Will. "We never got around to being lovers. There didn't seem to be the time for that. We were friends. Louise was good to be with, but there was a distance and Louise kept it."(King, p 36) It is Will whom Louise calls when she realizes she has to give birth and needs to go to the hospital. He wants to wait with her but Louise discourages it, ""I got nothing better to do. Don't mind waiting… ""… ""No sense, Will…"(King, p 36) Both Wavey and Quoyle are haunted by their first relationships. Wavey begins to talk about Herold, her first husband when she and Quoyle are about to have sex. "Do you know how he died?" My husband? Herold Prowse? I'll tell you."(Proulx, p 194) And Quoyle thinks of Petal, his first wife," And what of Petal's essence riding under his skin like an injected vaccine against the plague of love? What was the point of touching Wavey's dry hand?" (Proulx, p 195) Their relationship is very slowly moving. Both have private demons with relationships. The only way is to move cautiously, slowly, for the both of them. "Their silence comfortable. Something unfolding. But what? Not love, which wrenched and wounded. Not love, which came only once."(Proulx p 195) Will, on the other hand is coming to terms with him not having a father. He immediately takes on the role of father to Louise's baby, longing for the family he never had. ""Most men like to be there when their wives deliver. Is this your first?"" ""Ah…yes."" he replies (King, p 38). Relishing in the feeling of being a father and husband he thinks, "I began thinking about Louise, and for the first time since I had come back to Medicine River, I felt good. Clean and strong. Maybe we could give it a try with the baby and all." (King, p 38) When Will holds the baby for the first time at the hospital he is enchanted, "That little girl kept looking at me, and I just sat in the rocking-chair in the nursery. I would have sat there longer, but the nurse came in to tell me that my wife was awake and wanted to see the baby."(King, p 40) Will is developing a bond with Louise's child. When Will is watching the baby in the nursery, a nurse asks him which one is his. He claims the baby as his own,""That one,"" I said." (King, p 42) Will's artistic side enables him to create his father and to create a family, neither which exist for him. It is Louise who stops the flow of the relationship between herself and Will and places restrictions. ""As soon as we get settled, I'll make dinner. Maybe we can go to a show, too."" Sure"" responds Will. (King, 42) Will never challenges. He seems to always accept things as they are. The relationship becomes controlled by Louise, "Louise and I hadn't gone out much since South Wing was born, but I would generally go over for dinner about once a week…"(King, p 136) Harlen attempts to have the relationship progress, "…everybody can see how much you love South Wing. Bertha figures you're pretty fond of Louise, too.""(King, p 136) Will has memories of another love, Susan, "…we talked about everything. We talked in bed, especially and always before we made love, sometimes for hours…(King, p 112 & 113) But in that relationship where there was so much talk, so much communication, it was only by accident that Will learned Susan was married. It was when he called her at home, "You want to talk to Daddy? I saw it too late…"(King, p 113). It is after this first painful love, that Will treads slowly, talking less; letting Louise take the initiative. Quoyle's relationship also takes a dip as he ponders," Their silence comfortable. Something unfolding. But what? Not love, which came only once." (Proulx, p 233) Though there are doubts as Quoyle too is haunted by his past love, he is also changing. He is becoming more assertive as a person, ""You have been thinking of all the angles,"" said the aunt. Dryly. She was used to being the one who figured things out." (Proulx, p 227) So assertive is Quoyle becoming that his suggests his aunt moves out on her own. "There's not room for all four of us…" (Proulx, p 227) Quoyle continues to examine his relationship with Wavey, "…They could go to dinner. A movie….It will be fun. The word sounded stupid in his mouth. When had he ever had "fun" …Wavey, chapped face already set in the lines of middle age, an encroaching dryness about her …Both of them the kind who stood with forced smiles watching other people dance, spin…Having fun." (Proulx, p 293) "When Quoyle gets drunk with his friends he mourns his wife. ""My wife,"" bawled Quoyle, ""is dead.""(Proulx, p 255) Quoyle has difficulty separating his beautiful young wife from this middle aged woman. Louise and Will take a step into acknowledging that they do have a relationship. Again it is Louise who brings it forth. "Louise laughed and leaned over the table and kissed me…Louise didn't pull away. She stayed there, leaning on the table, close to me. And she kissed me again…""You ever have a girlfriend before me?"" and Will a man of few words when it comes to this relationship replies,""sure."" (King, p 142) Will lets Louise control the relationship. He is accepting in nature. Quoyle seems torn. When Quoyle is promoted his assertiveness comes across as "gruff" and "hard boiled" because that is how he thinks he should act, "Write them up with a little more detail than you put into the S.A. stories." (Proulx, p 288) Quoyle now confident , suggests fresh ideas. He takes the initiative, "Those ads, Jack. I'd like to drop the fake ads. We need the news space…" (Proulx, p 292) Quoyle becomes more confident with his appearance as well, "He looked at his naked self,…Saw he was immense…Full shoulders and powerful arms…It was harder to count his errors now… (Proulx, 326) Quoyle and Wavey's final stage is not complete until they both discuss and come to terms with their previous loves. Both acknowledge that their relationships had been destructive. ""Harold,"" said Wavey, ""was a womanizer. He treated me body like a trough….I felt he was casting vomit in me when he come to his climax. And I never told that but to you.""…""I know something now I didn't know a year ago, ""said Quoyle. ""Petal wasn't any good. And I think maybe that is why I loved her.""….[Wavey states] It's like you feel that's all you deserve." (Proulx, p 308) This sharing of hurt, of realizing that their previous relationships was a reflection of their lack of self worth opens the door to a new beginning, a new stage. When Quoyle contemplates a life with him and Wavey married he wonders, "would Petal be in the bed with them? Or Herold Prowse? He imagined the demon lovers coupling, biting and growling, while he and Wavey crouched against the footboard with their eyes squeezed shut, fingers in their ears." (Proulx p 314) Will's first girlfriend left without even telling him, "On the way home the next day, I bought a paper and another bottle of wine…But Susan wasn't there. She had come by sometime in the afternoon, collected her things, and left. (King, p 188) Will has become careful as a result in his relationship with Susan. Louise shares her opinions, reflecting her own hurts, "marriage was always more of a burden on women than on men, that women always had to take on extra weight, while men just fell into marriage as if they were falling into bed. I [Will]tried to stay away from talk like that." (King, p 188) Will would rather accept things as they are then become deep and analytical since that is the way he was raised. When Will does raise his opinion, he and Louise have their first argument, "Louise and I didn't exactly have a fight. It was more a discussion about Harlen and Bertha, though in the end, the discussion didn't have much to do with them at all." (King, p 185). Even the community observes the slow pace of Will and Louise's relationship. Harlen again offers his suggestions, ""Bertha says you should give Louise an ultimatum."(King, p 187). Louise seeks Will's opinion when she buys a house, "I'm thinking of buying a house, Will, and I wanted to talk to you about it, first." (King, p 218) Quoyle and Wavey also have discussions and Wavey's opinion is valued and considered regarding Bunny going to Jack's funeral. Though Quoyle is contrary to the idea, Wavey succeeds to persuade him, " …if you look at the departed you'll never be troubled by the memory…And so Quoyle agreed." (Proulx, p 332) Louise stops the relationship from growing. ""He's not Mr. Heavyman,""said Louise. He's a good friend."" (King, p223) The mixed messages continue as she buys a house that has a "darkroom." (King, p225) When Will moves Louise and her daughter in, they make love and it is Louise who offers the possibility of their relationship to grow, "You ever think of us living together?" (King, p 228) Will is very laid back and instead of taking the opportunity he tells her that, "You've got me." (King, p 228) He finds it very difficult to communicate with Louise and yet he too wants to live with Louise, "thought of ways to bring up the subject of living together."(King p 231) But the moment has passed, "The darkroom was gone." (King, p 233) Their relationship takes another turning point when Louise announces that she will be spending Christmas with Harold and his family, ""Does this mean we can't live together?"" I [Will] laughed when I said it."(King, p 258) He can't seem to take a stand with Louise. Louise calls Will Christmas morning to tell him, ""he really wants to marry me."" ""And …?" replies Will "I don't want to get married." (King, p 259) Will again has permitted her to make her own decision without telling her how he feels about her. Their relationship cannot grow to completion. With time Quoyle and Wavey have become close. Quoyle is free, from Petal and the sadness of his past. He has become a new person. "Quoyle experienced moments in all colors, uttered brilliancies, paid attention to the rich sound of waves counting stones, he laughed and wept, noticed sunsets, heard music in rain, said I do." (Proulx, p 336) To Live Proulx has managed to depict how a man can heal himself from a tormented young life and marriage. He can gain confidence and find a mature love. Quoyle allowed himself to recover from Pedal's abuse, and realize that it wasn't love that Pedal had for him. Once Quoyle realizes that the relationship is destructive, he is able to move on with Wavey whom had her own demons to deal with and to recover from. Will's character on the other hand is sweet and complacent. He follows his mother's philosophy that things are beyond our control, which he experienced with his first relationship. He does not allow himself the freedom to communicate with Louise exactly what he wants. It is because of this that he and Louise cannot find fulfillment. There is a hole, something missing and regardless, neither can tell the other exactly how they feel and really want. There are hints and suggestions but ultimately the relationship to fulfillment cannot be accomplished because, "It's the way things are."(King, p 257) Bibliography King, Thomas. Medicine River. Toronto: Penguin, 1995. Proulx, Annie. The Shipping News. New York: Scribner, 2003.