In Alice Munro’s “How I Met My Husband” and James Joyce’s “Araby,” the use of a first-person narrator who is the mature version of the young protagonist is the most important element of the story because it provides a before and after perspective of this pivotal life story so the readers can compare them to get a full sense of the story’s impact on the protagonist. Edie and the narrator of “Araby” come to their own realization about intimacy and optimism respectively, as shown through the comparison between the actions of the younger protagonist and the description of the story told by the older protagonist.
In “How I Met My Husband,” the fist-person narration hints at how Edie has matured and understood more about intimacy after her story …show more content…
The narrator frequently describes the environment in a very dark and depressing way, such as “the houses had grown somber” (430). Often, the narrator’s descriptions contrast against the protagonist’s thoughts, such as when the narrator describes “[. . .] the waste room behind the kitchen,” where his younger self had found some books, as “littered with old useless papers” (430). He then states that he liked one of those books, which goes against him saying that the papers were useless, as he had paid attention to the books. This showed that the narrator realized the things he had spent time on when he was younger were completely useless and unproductive. Another example is when “the high cold empty gloomy rooms liberated [the young protagonist] and [he] went from room to room singing” (432). The narrator chooses to describe the rooms as gloomy and cold, yet the younger protagonist was so optimistic and starry-eyed that he had seen the rooms as an open space to do as he pleased. The narrator then proceeds to critique the young protagonist’s idealistic romantic views. He says how “[he] had never spoken to [Mangan’s sister], except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all [his] foolish blood” (431), “foolish blood” being the critique. The narrator also says how this obsession with romance had caused his younger self to think “little of the future” (431), and “[chafe] against the work of school” (432). The narrator’s critiques against the protagonist show how the narrator has been affected by this romantic experience, realizing how life is not as optimistic as he thought it
In “How I Met My Husband,” the fist-person narration hints at how Edie has matured and understood more about intimacy after her story …show more content…
The narrator frequently describes the environment in a very dark and depressing way, such as “the houses had grown somber” (430). Often, the narrator’s descriptions contrast against the protagonist’s thoughts, such as when the narrator describes “[. . .] the waste room behind the kitchen,” where his younger self had found some books, as “littered with old useless papers” (430). He then states that he liked one of those books, which goes against him saying that the papers were useless, as he had paid attention to the books. This showed that the narrator realized the things he had spent time on when he was younger were completely useless and unproductive. Another example is when “the high cold empty gloomy rooms liberated [the young protagonist] and [he] went from room to room singing” (432). The narrator chooses to describe the rooms as gloomy and cold, yet the younger protagonist was so optimistic and starry-eyed that he had seen the rooms as an open space to do as he pleased. The narrator then proceeds to critique the young protagonist’s idealistic romantic views. He says how “[he] had never spoken to [Mangan’s sister], except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all [his] foolish blood” (431), “foolish blood” being the critique. The narrator also says how this obsession with romance had caused his younger self to think “little of the future” (431), and “[chafe] against the work of school” (432). The narrator’s critiques against the protagonist show how the narrator has been affected by this romantic experience, realizing how life is not as optimistic as he thought it