My personal interest, in E. Annie Proulx's book The Shipping News, comes from her use of Newfoundland sayings, beliefs, and old wives tales used in the book. I have recaptured those sayings and wives tales for your perusal. I enjoyed reflecting on them, and I hope you have the same experience. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
 

Sian Quolye, Quolye's grandfather use to wear the tooth of a dead man hanging on a string around his neck. He believed by doing this it kept toothache away (Ch. 3, p.25). Similarly, old Quoyle believed that he could defend against imagined enemies by tying a knot in a bit of string (Ch 33, p.265).

Aunt Agnis was talking to Quoyle, and was referring to Petal when she said, "You know it takes a year, a full turn of the calendar, to get over losing somebody. That's a true saying. And it helps if you're in a different place" (Ch. 4, p.29).

The old abandoned green house that belonged to Aunt Agnis was well protected after all these years because there were, "three lucky stones strung on a wire to keep the house safe" (Ch. 5, p.45).

Jack Buggit had said that there was a trick to finding fish, and that Billy Pretty was one of the best to find the fish. "They say true 'the fish has no bells'" (Ch. 7, p.64).

Mavis Bangs explained an old wives tale to Dawn Budgel. "When there was a new mat made, you know, the girls, the young girls would get a cat, see, and they'd put the cat on the new mat, then fold up the sides and hold it in there. There was always a cat, Newfoundlanders like their cats. Then they'd unfold it, and whoever the cat came to, why she was the next one to be married. Now that was as true as the sun rises" (Ch. 22, p.181).

Tert Card suffered from canker sores in his mouth. He believed that if he wore knot charms, he could defend against them. Despite this, the canker sores came every winter (Ch. 25, p.198).

The fish plant man said, "They used to say 'A man's set up in life if he's got a pig, a punt and a potato patch.' What do they say now? Every man for himself" (Ch. 25, p.200).

Nutbeem spoke to Quoyle about Jack's uncanny sense about assignments, and that Jack does the same thing to himself. Nutbeem said, "There must be some kind of truth in the old saying, misery loves company. That it's easier to die if others around you are dying" (Ch. 27, p.221).

Aunt Agnis was speaking to Mrs. Bangs, and was upset because she had put a lot of money into the old house, and it was now only going to be used for camp because it was difficult to get back and forth to work. She said, "Like they say, what can't be cured must be endured" (Ch. 28, p.229).

Tert Card said that Skipper Small was a charmer, and that he charmed the hair off his sister's arms by doing the following, "He'd write down on a little piece of paper, throw it in the fire, watch it burn until just a pelm laid over the coals, all white and wizzled. He'd take a stick, poke it in and break up the pelm, the bits would fly off to the chimney. 'There,' he'd say, 'there goes your affliction'" (Ch. 31, p.246). Miracuously, her arms would come smooth as silk - it worked!

Yark's eyes watered in the light from snow blindness 20 years earlier, depite his wife's attempt to cure it by putting tea compresses over his eyes (Ch. 37, p.302-303).

Jack Buggit told Quoyle that there's, "Nothing made ashore that's as good as what you pull out of the sea" (Ch.37, p.310).

Yark told Quoyle that there was weather coming on because of the following, "I see the spiders is lively all day and my knees is full of crackles" (Ch. 38, p.313).

Wavey felt that Quoyle should take Bunny to Jake's wake supposedly because of the following, "Besides, if you look at the departed you'll never be troubled by the memory. It's well-known" (Ch. 39, p.332).
 

I also enjoyed Annie Proulx's rich descriptions of her characters. Try and Match the following description to one of the characters in the book. Ask yourself, who is Annie Proulx describing?

"A great damp loaf of a body. At six he weighed eighty pounds. At sixteen he was burried 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" (Ch. 1, p.2). Answer: Quoyle.

"His face: wood engraved with fanned lines. Blue eyes in tilted eye cases, heavy lids. His cheek pillows pushed up by a thin, slanting smile, a fine channel like a scar from nose to upper lip. Bushy eyebrows, a roach of hair the color of an antique watch" (Ch. 7, p.57). Answer: Billy Pretty.

"A man with a meaty face the size and shape of a sixteen-pound ham squeezed in front of Quoyle" (Ch. 32, p.255). Answer: Adonis Collard, the food critic.

"An emaciated black-haired man, a foot taller than the local men who ran to large jaws, no necks, sandy hair and barrel chests" (Ch. 32, p.256). Answer: Benny Fudge, the man who destroyed Nutbeem's boat.

"The aunt's unruly hair; his father's lipless mouth; their common family eyes sunk under brows as coarse as horsehair; his brother's stance. And for Quoyle, a view of his own monstrous chin, here a somewhat smaller bony shelf choked with white bristle" (Ch. 33, p.264). Answer: Nolan, Quoyle's only living relative on Capsize Cove.

"Face like a stubbled bun, slick mouth" (Ch. 1, p.6). Answer: Al Catalog.

"Grey eyes close together, curly hair the color of oak. The fluorescent light made her as pale as candle wax. Her eyelids gleamed with some dusky unguent" (Ch.2, p.12). Answer: Petal Bear.

"A small man with a red forehead, somewhere, Quoyle thought, between forty-five and ninety-five. A stubbled chin, slack neck. Jaggled hair frowsting down. Fingers ochre from chain-smoking" (Ch. 7, p.63). Answer: Jack Buggit.

"The graceful, straight-backed woman" (Ch. 13, p.114). Answer: Wavey Prowse.

"A flush-faced man with white hair. He wore madras trousers with a patent leather belt and matching white shoes" (Ch. 13, p.116). Answer: Herman Melville.

"A woman in a food-splotched bathrobe, hair the color of sewage foam, sat on the sofa. Her hands clashed in bracelets, rings. Feet stretched out, blunt purple ankles" (Ch. 13, p.119). Answer: Silver, Herman Melville's wife.

"A small man with a paper face, ears the size of half-dollars, eyes like willow leaves. He spoke from lips no more than a crack between the nose and chin" (Ch. 29, p.236). Answer: Alvin Yark.
 

Annie Proulx, in a most subtle way, refers to Newfoundland jokes by writing a brief comment that comes from one of her characters, Mr. Jack Buggit. It is interesting to note that like the character in the book, many Newfoundlanders dislike Newfoundland jokes. On the other hand, many Newfoundlanders do not mind the odd Newfoundland joke as long as it is coming from an appropriate source. For example, I believe that it is easier to laugh at a Newfoundland joke when the source is coming from another Newfoundlander and not a Mainlander. Personally, I feel that I have a good sense of humour, and am able to take a Newfoundland joke without taking offense to it. In most cases, I would simply respond back to that person with a suitable joke. Newfoundlanders, I feel, are typically witty by nature. Below, Jack 's comment is presented, and a few Newfoundland jokes are provided for reference to his comment.

""One more thing. I'm not no joke, Quoyle, and I don't never want to hear jokes about Newfoundland or Newfoundlanders. Keep it in mind. I hates a Newfie joke "" (Ch.7, p.69).

Newfie Jokes by Bob Tulk (Vol. 1)

A Newfie told the priest that he stole a piece of rope. Priest: "That's not too bad my son." Newfie: "It's what's on the end of the rope that worries me, Father." Priest: "What's that, my son?" Newfie: "A Cow."

A Newfie phoned Air Canada and asked the girl how long it took for a jet to go from Newfoundland to Toronto. The girl, being very busy at the time, replied "One second, sir." Newfie: "Thank-you."

A Newfie told me that he had a thousand things for breakfast and it was all beans.

Newfie: "Do you like tongues?" Nova Scotian: "I can't eat anything that comes from an animal's mouth." Newfie: "Would you like some eggs instead?"

Two Newfies were building a house. One of them was throwing away every second nail he picked up. His buddy asked him what was wrong and he said that every second nail he picked up has the head on the wrong end. His buddy said "Well don't throw them away, we can always use them on the other side of the wall."

A Newfoundlander walked out of the subway in Toronto after being lost for four hours and his buddy asked him where he was. Newfie replied "I went down these steps and ended up in some fellow's basement and you should see the size of the electric trains he plays with down there."

A Newfie almost got his neck broke once getting a drink - the toilet seat fell on him.

A Newfoundlander walked into a tavern and said to the bartender: "Give me a drink before the fight starts." Bartender: "Sure, here." Newfie, five minutes later: "Give me another drink before the fight starts." Bartender: "Here, but who's fighting?" Newfie: "You and me, when you find out I can't pay for these drinks."

A lot of Newfoundlanders have no respect for age - unless it's bottled.

How do you get ten Newfies into a Volkswagen? "Throw in a codfish."
 

If you would like to respond to this web page, my address is donnas@ganymede.cs.mun.ca