Literary notes about squall (AI summary)
The word squall is often invoked to capture the sudden, violent, and transformative force of nature, frequently set against the backdrop of maritime adventure. Writers describe it as a fast-moving burst of wind and rain that disrupts the calm, upturns ships, and forces characters into immediate action—as when a white squall is heralded with certainty or dread ([1], [2], [3]). Moreover, the term transcends its literal meteorological meaning in some narratives, symbolizing emotional upheaval or the unexpected surge of life’s challenges ([4], [5]). In this way, squall becomes a versatile literary device: a dramatic catalyst that not only heightens the tension within the natural world but also mirrors the inner storms of human experience ([6], [7]).
- I know these seas, sir; and that is a white squall, or I am a Dutchman.
— from In Greek Waters: A Story of the Grecian War of Independence by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty - An hour later, a sudden squall carried away the main and mizzen topmasts of one of the French ships.
— from The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 by A. T. Mahan - We therefore trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves; and in about half an hour the boat was upset by a sudden squall.
— from The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang - The crisis slowly calmed down and they began to weep quietly, just as on the sea when a calm follows a squall.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - It was the bold, clamorous, self-assertive squall of the new human being, who had so incomprehensibly appeared.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - The whole crew were half suffocated as they were tossed helter-skelter into the white curdling cream of the squall.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - He restrained himself, however, and the little squall would have blown over, but for one unlucky word.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott
