Both Nolan and Gillian, take the same approach by creating fearful anticipation for the responders by portraying their text through unreliable characters. In Gone Girl, Flynn uses double narration as a means to translate the unreliability of the Nick and Amy. This first-person narration allows the reader to understand the character's emotions and reactions to events. Amy and Nick 'duel' back and forth in the sense that the chapters alternate between their points of view by slowly revealing information that has been hidden or omitted. However, over time the readers discover that the initial situation is not an accurate representation of what occurs. For example, diary Amy who is nothing like the real Amy feeds the readers false information about Nick that implicates him. This …show more content…
The reads are introduced to the unreliable side of Nick when he states; "It was my fifth lie to the police. I was just starting" (p.42). This unreliability is mirrored in Memento, as the viewers are placed in the shoes of Leonard who suffers from Anterograde amnesia. When he receives information, so too do the viewers, which because of his condition they should be critical with the information that he presents them with. This unreliable narration causes the viewer to justify his actions and root for his vengeance, however, when Nolan reveals to the viewers that Leonard has already achieved vengeance for his wife but does not remember it, they feel betrayed and left conflicted. During the scene where Leonard peers at the mirror at his tattoo which states; JOHN G RAPED AND MURDERED MY WIFE", there is a close up shot that shows him writing on Teddy's Polaroid image which has on it a reminder that; "HE IS THE ONE. KILL HIM". This close-up emphasises the importance of the note as it allows the viewers to question Teddy's character and his
His duplicity continues, as he meets Tom’s mistress, and later arranges Daisy and Gatsby’s meeting, even going as far as to say “don’t bring Tom” (85). These are clear deceptions and violations of trust, which both reveal that Nick is not the honest and forthright man he wants the reader to believe his is; on the contrary, in many ways he is the opposite of honest and forthright. However, Nick’s most clearly professed lie is in protection of Daisy, when Tom insists that Gatsby had killed Myrtle, and Nick remains silent, forgoing telling Tom about the “one unutterable fact,” - that it had not been Gatsby who was driving the car when it had hit Myrtle, but Daisy - in favor of protecting Daisy (178). This obvious deception shows that despite Nick’s conviction in his honest character he does not neglect others, who depend on him. Once again, Nick mischaracterizes his traits and even fails to recognize his deceptions and violations of trust as being dishonest, failing to evaluate his own
The development of Dunny's character in the novel begins when Dunny falls in love with Faustina. It is because of these female characters that both protagonists learn to accept the emotional side of their lives, which are provided by these women, who possess immoral values that allows Nick and Dunny to develop into the final stages of their characters, essentially making them the same. Nick's realization of the equality of man and morals change when he comes in contact with Jordan Baker. Jordan possesses certain qualities that only benefit her. She likes to bend the rules so that the positive result ends up in her favor. She has allowed herself to be wrapped in a blanket of dishonesty that Nick would not be able to live, until he realizes that he can.
Amy Tan would always read to escape what she was feeling, but not realizing that
He wasn’t happy being with her anymore. He had cheated on Amy with one of his students at a college, and fell in love with her. Amy found out and soon wanted revenge on him. She decided that she would frame Nick for murdering her. “...I began to think of a different story, a better story, that would destroy Nick for doing this to me. A story that would restore my perfection…” (Flynn 234). She had and stole Nick’s money, left presents for him all over town, and staged a “crime scene” in their living room. When Nick went to the police, they were already suspicious. Nick’s sister Margo realizes what she’s doing and states “She’s keeping Nick running in circles, she’s amusing herself. I’m sure she was happy just knowing what a guilt trip it must be for Nick to be reading all these sweet notes…” (Flynn 256). While Amy was hiding out and enjoying herself, “She was gone, yet she was more present than anyone else” (Flynn 214). Nick would’ve never thought she was willing to go to such great lengths to get back at him. He never really knew her at all, it
Nick enjoyed going out in public with Jordan since she was a famous athlete. Yet Nick finally realizes she is not in love with her due to her dishonesty. Jordan is egocentric of her reputation as seen in her cheating scandal when she used her superiority to display her win as a fait accompli, even though she evidently cheated. Thus, Jordan lies to get away from her problems and keep her reputation spotless. Fitzgerald juxtaposes Nick with Jordan, “She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and...in order to keep that cool smile, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body...Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply--I was casually sorry, and then I forgot...I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 58-59). Even if Nick is fastidious about Jordan and her imperfections, he is still fond of her due to her physical attributes. Nick was intrigued about her physical appearance, being with her due to her reputation, and hedonistically attracted towards her. On the other hand, Nick has evidently proven he has moral values such as honesty. Nick has been honest throughout the novel and evidently he has a sense of self-worth since he has never doubted himself for his opinions or his actions. Throughout the novel, Nick has evidently displayed personal integrity and a sense of right or wrong unlike the
Jonathan Romney clearly summarizes Memento as an “at-heart film noir in classic 1940s vein -- the story of a man investigating his wife's death. True to form, there is a mysterious femme fatale and a sly, ambivalent character who could be friend or foe. The first twist is that the hero and narrator, Leonard, suffers from short-term amnesia and forgets things almost as soon as they happen. The second twist is that the story is told backwards -- it starts with Leonard getting his revenge and taking a Polaroid to prove it to himself.” Romney’s outline of the story describes the plot. He continues on “But his bullet returns to the gun and the photo fades, then slides back into the camera. This is something more than an echo of the reverse storytelling of Martin Amis's Time's Arrow. Here, it is as if events erase themselves the instant they occur -- which, in Leonard's mind, is exactly what happens.” Romney introduces two of the tricks that Memento uses. The first scene is the only scene of the movie that is actually backwards as Romney explains. It succeeds in establishing the mood of the movie and confusing the viewer. Writer-director Christopher Nolan draws the viewer into Leonard’s world with this confusion and the syntax of the story. Romney goes on to describe this syntax like this: “[The audience] start[s] off in [Leonard’s] position, as much in the dark as he is. But the more we learn, the more he forgets. And whenever we think we know more than he does, some new enigma comes along to redress the balance. A bizarre narrative construction keeps us shifting in and out of focus. Each section of the main story begins in mid-action, so that we do not know what is happening any more than Leonard does…To make things more complex, another strand, apparently chronological, is inter...
... the characters from his point of view. However, is Nick a trustworthy narrator? Some readers may see him as a hypochrite, because of how he describes him self compare to the other characters.
Many people enjoy a good film and at the end, they have the potential to judge the film by the content and delivery it had provided. In some films, the screenwriter chooses to portray one of the many psychological disorders. The audience of the film will try to focus on how well the disorder was portrayed and how well the movie played out. Whether the intention of the film maker was trying to expose the public about such psychological disorder or choosing to make a film based on the disorder, some viewers will argue if the film has portrayed the disorder accurately and whether the public has taken notice to the disorder. Screenwriter, Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, portrayed the psychological disorder, Anterograde Amnesia, in their film “Memento.”
Unreliable narrators provide insight into the way they see the world by limiting the reader to one viewpoint. By providing a new set of eyes for the reader to see through, the author can give insight into the narrators mind and the way he or she perceives the world. Whether it is William Faulkner who gives every side of the story except the main character’s, J.D. Salinger who provides insight into the narrator through his criticism of others, or Suzanne Collins who has the reader make realizations about the narrator as she makes them about herself, authors use unreliable narrators to explore new depths of character understanding and growth.
There is a point when Nick has to decide if he is living a lie or being as honest as he believes he is. Jordan’s parting words of, “I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward man. I thought it was your secret pride,” alludes to how dishonest a person she has become because she can’t understand truth when it is right in front of her (Fitzgerald, 177). Nick is not hurt by these words. Instead, it reinforces that he made the correct decision.
Both Nick and Jordan Baker attended Gatsby’s party and were asked to meet him. While there, Gatsby speaks in private to Jordan and tells her that he and Daisy were young lovers in the past but now he is trying to court her, despite her marriage. Instead of telling Nick himself, Gatsby has Jordan explain the situation to him. Much later, when Jordan finally tells Nick the perspective of the novel changes from Nick to Jordan. She begins her explanation in a flashback and describes Daisy in the past as read in the quote. She explains how Daisy was very popular often got calls from young officers, then proceeds to say how she saw her with Gatsby before he left for war. She continues her flashback describing past occurrences with Daisy that are now in a new light, until she finally concludes by telling Nick that he must invite Daisy over for tea. The purpose of this request from Gatsby is for him to visit Nick’s home, at the same time while she is there, allowing them to reunite.
Nick attempts to deceive the reader at the beginning of the novel by describing himself as a man who is inclined to reserve all judgments (3). But Nick actually evaluates everyone based off his own bias judgments. He describes Jordan Baker as an incurably dishonest (57) and careless person (58). Tom and Daisy are careless people who “smash-up things and creatures and then retreat back into their money or vast carelessness” (179), according to Nick’s description. He describes Mr. McKee as feminine (30). Nick also describes George Wilson as a spiritless man (25). He is effectively not reserving his judgments. This deception and lying from Nick is another reason why he is an unreliable narrator, which goes against how Nick generally describes himself as an honest man who reserves all judgments, showing his non-objective stance.
The story is told in reverse order. Since the events in Memento are presented backwards, this allows the viewer to get into the mind frame of Leonard Shelby, the main character. Leonard is also the narrator of the story, and like him, the viewer is presented with a numerous amount of clues. Many of the clues mean something other than what they initially appear to be. For example, Leonard has a tattoo on his arm that says, "Remember Sammy Jenkis," unfortunately Sammy is a figment of Leonard's imagination and not a real person. Leonard suffers from a rare condition called Anterograde Amnesia due to head trauma he sustained during a break-in to his home. Therefore, he cannot create any new memories. He forgets where he is, where he's going and why. One of the things he does remember is that he was an insurance investigator in San Francisco with a home and a wife whom he loved very much. He also remembers when two men broke into his house the night his wife was raped, and in his mind, murdered.
An example is her torture during the majority of the book. In 6th grade she went to her friends party, and to her astonishment, a couple began making out in the closet. She called her mom to tell her what was going on and her mom told the mother ...
In The Great Gatsby, Nick does not have the supernatural ability to read the thoughts of the characters around him, or the ability to be in multiple places at once. Nick does have the ability to look at the expressions of the characters around him and to conclude a possible thought that the character is feeling, but Nick does not have the complete assurance that the expression seen is the feeling being felt. Also, Nick misses opportunities to be in many relevant conversations and events that could have greatly influenced the understanding of the reader. In chapter 5, Gatsby arranges a secret meeting for Daisy and himself at Nick 's home. As Gatsby breaks the awkward wall established between Daisy and himself, Nick leaves the scene. When Nick returns "Daisy 's face was smeared with tears [... and Gatsby was] literally [glowing]" (89). Since Nick left his home to leave Gatsby and Daisy alone, the reader has no idea what they said to each other and what they said to produce those kind of emotions. The reader can assume that the tears were produced out of joy, but the reader loses the opportunity to gain information that would later have been essential in the novel. Another instance where an all-knowing point of view would have been significant is when Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy is the one that was driving the vehicle that killed Myrtle in chapter 7. Gatsby had previously established himself as a dishonest man when he lied about his humble beginning. Therefore, since Nick was not in the same vehicle as Gatsby and Daisy, he does not know if anything that Gatsby said is true. The reader is only exposed to what Gatsby says that occurred in that moment and that may very well not be the truth. The reality is that Nick is not a God and does not have a clear picture of