Prompt: one aspect of narrative technique(pt. Of view, description or telling or scenic) in an appropriate passage and discuss how it functions in the context of the rest of the tale. (4-5 pages)
Main Idea: Charlies internal conflict
A central intelligence perspective allows the reader to view Charlie’s experiences and derive meaning from them. This knowledge highlights Charlie’s fatal flaw in not being able to extract meaning from his experiences. Without being able to comprehend the significance of his experiences Charlie fails to realize the disconnect between what he believes he is and what his thoughts and actions portray him to be In fiction, identifying who is telling the story is imperative to understanding the plot, the characters …show more content…
In Charlie’s interactions with Lorraine and Duncan his attitude towards them is ambiguous and noncommittal. When they show up unexpectedly to his in-laws’ house and invite him to spend time with them, he responds: “[s]orry, but I can’t. Tell me where you’ll be and I’ll phone you in half an hour” (295). This is the second instance that the couple invite Charlie to go out with them. In both cases, he responds that he “can’t”. Knowledge of his thoughts and emotions--specifically his nostalgia for the fun times he spent with them-- greatly shapes the interpretation of his responses. Charlie could’ve chosen to be more precise and tell them that he did not want to go. Instead, by responding that he “can’t” he makes it unclear whether its his choice or not. In this sense, he doesn’t explicitly reject their friendship. It is also crucial that he ask them where they’ll be and says he will call them later. This is also the second instance that reader experiences Charlie reaching out to his old friends. The first instance occurs when he leaves a note with Lincoln’s address for Duncan with a bartender at the Ritz Bar. This repeated occurrence suggests that Charlie is not merely being courteous towards his old friends; he is deliberately choosing to maintain contact with them. If he was truly opposed to his old …show more content…
Immediately after leaving Lincoln’s house he goes “directly to the Ritz bar with the furious idea of finding Lorraine and Duncan” (296). His search for his friends is a misguided search for the source of his misfortune. Ironically, in the process of looking for the cause of his problems he is perpetuating them. He continues to choose to be connected to aspects of a lifestyle that obstruct him from escaping it. After finishing his daily glass of alcohol he sits at the bar and thinks about his uncertain future, “[h]is whisky glass was empty, but he shook his head when Alix looked at it questioningly. There wasn’t much he could do now except send Honoria some things; he would send her a lot of things tomorrow” (297). Charlie’s motivation behind his restriction to one drink a day is to convince Marion that he’s a changed man and suited to take care of Honoria. Despite being depressed about failing to bring his daughter home, Charlie doesn’t allow himself to indulge in a second drink. By sticking with his restriction, Charlie conveys that he is not abandoning his goal and remains hopeful that he will be able to eventually get his daughter back. Tragically, the reader can see that his hope is once again destined to fail because he isn’t able to learn from his past
Main Idea: Charlies internal conflict
A central intelligence perspective allows the reader to view Charlie’s experiences and derive meaning from them. This knowledge highlights Charlie’s fatal flaw in not being able to extract meaning from his experiences. Without being able to comprehend the significance of his experiences Charlie fails to realize the disconnect between what he believes he is and what his thoughts and actions portray him to be In fiction, identifying who is telling the story is imperative to understanding the plot, the characters …show more content…
In Charlie’s interactions with Lorraine and Duncan his attitude towards them is ambiguous and noncommittal. When they show up unexpectedly to his in-laws’ house and invite him to spend time with them, he responds: “[s]orry, but I can’t. Tell me where you’ll be and I’ll phone you in half an hour” (295). This is the second instance that the couple invite Charlie to go out with them. In both cases, he responds that he “can’t”. Knowledge of his thoughts and emotions--specifically his nostalgia for the fun times he spent with them-- greatly shapes the interpretation of his responses. Charlie could’ve chosen to be more precise and tell them that he did not want to go. Instead, by responding that he “can’t” he makes it unclear whether its his choice or not. In this sense, he doesn’t explicitly reject their friendship. It is also crucial that he ask them where they’ll be and says he will call them later. This is also the second instance that reader experiences Charlie reaching out to his old friends. The first instance occurs when he leaves a note with Lincoln’s address for Duncan with a bartender at the Ritz Bar. This repeated occurrence suggests that Charlie is not merely being courteous towards his old friends; he is deliberately choosing to maintain contact with them. If he was truly opposed to his old …show more content…
Immediately after leaving Lincoln’s house he goes “directly to the Ritz bar with the furious idea of finding Lorraine and Duncan” (296). His search for his friends is a misguided search for the source of his misfortune. Ironically, in the process of looking for the cause of his problems he is perpetuating them. He continues to choose to be connected to aspects of a lifestyle that obstruct him from escaping it. After finishing his daily glass of alcohol he sits at the bar and thinks about his uncertain future, “[h]is whisky glass was empty, but he shook his head when Alix looked at it questioningly. There wasn’t much he could do now except send Honoria some things; he would send her a lot of things tomorrow” (297). Charlie’s motivation behind his restriction to one drink a day is to convince Marion that he’s a changed man and suited to take care of Honoria. Despite being depressed about failing to bring his daughter home, Charlie doesn’t allow himself to indulge in a second drink. By sticking with his restriction, Charlie conveys that he is not abandoning his goal and remains hopeful that he will be able to eventually get his daughter back. Tragically, the reader can see that his hope is once again destined to fail because he isn’t able to learn from his past