The Unreliable Narrator: TED-Talk
In most narratives, there is an element of trust between the narrator and the reader. Reading a novel temporarily places the reader in the hands of the narrator, intrigued and engaged, but how can we trust that the narrator is telling us everything they know? What limits does the narrator have, in terms of what they can perceive? Can we always trust the author’s words? Some literary critics argue that there is no such thing as a trustworthy narrator, since every person has varying levels of bias as a result of their past experiences. Arguably so, most narrators are not deliberately attempting to misinform the reader. When a narrator does choose to display a lack of credibility or understanding of the story, …show more content…
Instead of using clues placed by the author to determine whether the narrator is credible, the reader of a two-narrator text is left to decide which narrator’s depiction is the truth, based on nothing but contradictions between both narratives. Life of Pi is an example of a text that explores the technique of multiple narrators, through the expositions of both Yann Martel, the author, and Mr. Patel, a character in Martel’s novel. The confusion and deception arise at the very beginning of Life of Pi, when Martel says in his author note that “any inaccuracies or mistakes are [his]” (5). Martel intentionally draws attention to the fact that the Mr. Patel’s narrative will contain misinformation— misinformation that the reader will have to decipher.
Typically, a statement like this would provoke a reader lose trust, or become paranoid and hesitant; yet, Martel’s honesty seems to lessen the injustice of his actions and gain trust from the readers. In the same way admitting to have broken your mother’s vase right away in turn deserves less punishment than keeping the mistake a secret, the wrongdoing in both scenarios is almost overlooked— but not
In most narratives, there is an element of trust between the narrator and the reader. Reading a novel temporarily places the reader in the hands of the narrator, intrigued and engaged, but how can we trust that the narrator is telling us everything they know? What limits does the narrator have, in terms of what they can perceive? Can we always trust the author’s words? Some literary critics argue that there is no such thing as a trustworthy narrator, since every person has varying levels of bias as a result of their past experiences. Arguably so, most narrators are not deliberately attempting to misinform the reader. When a narrator does choose to display a lack of credibility or understanding of the story, …show more content…
Instead of using clues placed by the author to determine whether the narrator is credible, the reader of a two-narrator text is left to decide which narrator’s depiction is the truth, based on nothing but contradictions between both narratives. Life of Pi is an example of a text that explores the technique of multiple narrators, through the expositions of both Yann Martel, the author, and Mr. Patel, a character in Martel’s novel. The confusion and deception arise at the very beginning of Life of Pi, when Martel says in his author note that “any inaccuracies or mistakes are [his]” (5). Martel intentionally draws attention to the fact that the Mr. Patel’s narrative will contain misinformation— misinformation that the reader will have to decipher.
Typically, a statement like this would provoke a reader lose trust, or become paranoid and hesitant; yet, Martel’s honesty seems to lessen the injustice of his actions and gain trust from the readers. In the same way admitting to have broken your mother’s vase right away in turn deserves less punishment than keeping the mistake a secret, the wrongdoing in both scenarios is almost overlooked— but not