Magical Realism In Azure In Thirteen Cents

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K. Sello Duiker’s initiative behind the unreliable narrator, Azure in Thirteen Cents, is too question whether not having an unreliable narration, would the novel’s message with the effect of magical realism still be as effective. With the novel being written in first person (character-narrator) and in present tense, a style which is not seen as conventional and efficient. Not seen as the normative structure of a novel. The novel is a magical realist novel; having elements of both realism more evident in the beginning of the novel and mythological beliefs and traditions as seen towards the end of the novel when Azure visits the mountain.
An unreliable narrator according to David Lodge (Lodge), is someone who makes the connection between what is known and what is unknown (unconventional) leading to a novel evolving around magical realism. Azure as both a character as well as the narrator (first person, present tense) in the novel, David Lodge further argues that, what the character-narrator says, is as much as the reader will know due to the novel being read as a first person,
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Economic exploitation in ‘Thirteen Cents’ is evident between Azure and grownups. Joyce exploits Azure’s trust and money by claiming to have an account for Azure at the bank where his earnings are kept safe, “All the money she stole from me is going to burn her. She will die, I tell myself. Joyce will die.” (Duiker). Azure describes Allen as ‘moneycentric’, when having gone to Allen (a pimp) to buy a new pair of shoes (flip-flops), Azure reassures himself when he did not receive value for his money that, “try not to think of my money as wasted but as protection money” (Duiker). Azure not too long after admits that Allen had taught him that, “money is everything”

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