The Responsibility Of Open Ending In Literature

Benjamin says, however, that “The reader of a novel… is isolated, more so than any other reader… In this solitude of his, the reader of a novel seizes upon his material more jealously than anyone else” (Benjamin 88). In this quote, Benjamin is calling forward the idea of people not only reading a book by themselves, while storytelling would involve at least two people, but also stating that the way in which a reader reads is different than that of a person who listens to a story. Focusing on the isolation aspect of his quote, there seems to be an element that Benjamin has missed. People still talk about novels just as they did/do with stories. Obviously, it is harder to talk about things with a novel since, when stories are spoken to one another face-to-face, or in some cases phone-to-phone, …show more content…
One moment Clare had been there, a vital, glowing thing, like a flame of red and gold. The next she was gone,” allows for an open ending that can be debated as long as it is still relevant (Larsen Part Three n. pag.). Based on the Irene’s feelings toward Clare some would suggest she would push her, yet others might argue that it is clear that Clare committed suicide because her husband Bellew found out she was part black. Although open endings help with communication, novels can evoke conversation without that. Someone, who has experienced losing a loved one who killed themselves, can talk about how tragic it is that Okonkwo hung himself in Things Fall Apart where someone else can argue that this was cowardly and hurt the family (since Okonkwo was head of the family and necessary). Some readers may “….make [the novel] completely his own, to devour it, as it were,” but not everyone, and not every novel, abides by that rule. Some novels are specifically written to make you question the ending and the world around you, such as Larsen’s Passing, and even the novels dubbed exclusively entertainment novels can be used to provoke discussion amongst the crowd of