Magic, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a power that allows people to do impossible things by saying special words and performing special actions. When looking at the context of this definition, one can then define the term magical realism. Magical Realism is defined as a literary genre in which the author creates two conflicting positions, one rooted in logic and the other rooted in mysticism. In Kobo Abe’s short story, The Magic Chalk, Abe effectively creates a binary between the creator and the creation through the narrative style of magical realism and through the narrative techniques of characterization, irony, and symbolism where the protagonist alters the world to become his own creation.
Kobo Abe writes The Magic Chalk in the narrative style of magical realism. Through this style, Abe then has the ability to create situations that could not otherwise be realized in a real world situation. Abe through this narrative style he effectively creates questions of judgment, existentialism, and sexism. Throughout the text, the reader is constantly challenged to reevaluate what they hold and deem to be true. Thus, Abe causes the reader to become a more active reader.
Abe’s short story begins with the protagonist, Argon, finding a piece of chalk in his pocket, in which later he realizes that this particular piece of chalk has the capability of bringing whatever he draws to life. Through this piece of chalk, he sets out to create a new world based on his own image and vision. Through this, Abe effectively characterizes a man with a God complex. The audience is presented with this character who has suddenly been given this unimaginable power and wishes to create his own world. This is exemplified through Argon saying, “Nothing else m...
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...own creation where Argon is completely absorbed into the image where he is lying above Eve.
In summation, the narrative style and the narrative techniques that are used by Abe in The Magic Chalk allows the reader to gain a broader understanding of both the plot and the theme of the short story. Through this, Abe gives the reader the ability to interpret the story from multiple viewpoints and interpretations. The Magic Chalk allows effective interpretation of the theme: the creator versus the creation. Perhaps one could even argue that throughout The Magic Chalk, the creator was not in actuality Argon, but rather Abe himself.
Works Cited
Solomon, Barbara H. Other Voices, Other Vistas: Short Stories from Africa, China, India, Japan, and Latin America. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Mentor Book, 1992. Print.
The Holy Bible. New York: American Bible Society, 1992. Print.
This is effective because of her uses of descriptive words like “stark”, and “big, round and gleaming like cartoon jungle boys”. (Smith) These words add images in the reader’s head and when you read the “big, round and gleaming like cartoon jungle boys” (Smith) you get the image of two cartoon characters fighting in puff that cartoon puff of smoke where different parts of body parts pop out of the smoke during the fight and then instantly go back in to the smoke. These words show that the main character thinks this all some cartoon and the whole quote it self shows the reader that there are some sick people in this world, now and in the past that will do horrific things because a person’s skin color is different. If she left those words out and just said that I walked into a dark alley, because its hard to see me, and I beat black man with a pipe, the meaning would not be the same. There is a demonic effect that is parent when you read the quote and her use of imagery makes the main character seem more evil. Also they way she uses dialog in her imagery impact the sense of listening of reader. The part of the quote, “Hey, nigger, Abe Lincoln’s been dead a long time.” (Smith), really adds a more hatred in the interaction. If this line was apparent, the whole quote would not be so strong because the dialog gives the reader
There are many writers that convey their purposes using different methods. Many writers use different techniques to persuade their audience towards a specific idea in their writing. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain tells the story about a boy named Huck, who takes on many adventures along with Jim, a runaway slave. Throughout their journey, Huck starts to realize that African Americans are much the same as white Americans. He sees that the treatments of African Americans is wrong and cruel. Huck’s view on African Americans changes through the course of the novel because Twain introduces his idea of racism being immoral through the different uses of techniques. Writers like Walt Whitman, Brent Staples, Langston
Faris, Wendy B. "Scherazade's Children: Magical Realism and Postmodern Fiction." Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham; N.C.: Duke UP, 1995.
In both short nonfictional stories, “ The Uprooting of a Japanese- American Family” by Yoshiko Uchida and “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N.Scott Momaday both authors have comparative and contrasting traits in their purpose of writing their own stories.
"My Children are black. They don't look like your children. They know that they are black, and we want it recognized. It's a positive difference, an interesting difference, and a comfortable natural difference. At least it could be so, if you teachers learned to value difference more. What you value, you talk about.'" p.12
Delbaere-Garant, Jeannie. "Variations on Magical Realism". Magical Realism Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkison Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham" Duke U.P., 1995. 249-263.
I find many elements of this work very interesting, but a few constant threads of the story truly engaged me. I am fascinated by the recurring mention of issues surrounding his name and by the consistent application of magic in his life and the life of the Dagara people.
Chapter One included the introduction . DiLorenzo gives us brief chapter summaries of his book all throughout the introduction. Basically , DiLorenzo was introducing his themes and topics to the readers so that we had an idea of the book. Abe had many fans . Abe was often looked at as a hero but , DiLorenzo questions Abes heroic ways and agenda. Was Abe really a hero or was he a manipulator ? Was he really trying to hel...
...mple of imagery is when Richard’s friends run up to him with his article in their hands and a baffled look on their faces. This shows that Richard is a very talented writer for his age and that Richard is a very ambitious person because his school never taught him to write the way he does. This also shows that Richard took it upon himself to become a talented author and wants to be a writer when he grows up.
Faris, Wendy B. Ordinary Enchantments: Magical Realism and the Remystification of Narrative. Nashville: Vanderbilt UP, 2004. 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. 21
Powder, a short story written by Tobias Wolff, is about a boy and his father on a Christmas Eve outing. As the story unfolds, it appears to run deeper than only a story about a boy and his father on a simple adventure in the snow. It is an account of a boy and his father’s relationship, or maybe the lack of one. Powder is narrated by a grown-up version of the boy. In this tale, the roles of the boy and his father emerge completely opposite than what they are supposed to be but may prove to be entirely different from the reader’s first observation.
Magical Realism is the way in which a person views the world through a type of art. Magical realism deals with emotions, and it also discovers what is mysterious and meaningful in life. According to Franz Roh, in painting, is the way a person views the world through art (18, 20). Magical Realism has many characteristics that include many other ideas. Magical Realism can be observed in other subject areas, too, such as the logotherapy of Victor Frankl.
In order to see how Magical Realism is found in this treatment, one must first consider at least one of the identifying marks of Magical Realism. Among the characteristics that identify Magical Realism is the feeling of transcendence that the reader has while reading a Magical Realist text (Simpkins 150). During transcendence, a reader senses something that is beyond the real world. At the same time, however, the reader still feels as if he or she were rooted in the world (Sandner 52). After the reader undergoes transcendence, then he or she should have a different outlook on life.
May, Charles E. “‘Do You See What I’m Saying?’: The Inadequacy of Explanation and the Uses of Story in the Short Fiction of Raymond Carver.” The Yearbook of English Studies. Vol. 31. 2001. 39-49. Essay.
Obviously the most concise definition of magical realism is that it is the combination of magical and real elements. The magical elements that exist in works of magical realism are; superstitions, exaggerations, dreams that come true, universal humor and the coincidence of bizarre events. All of these Elements are present within Chronicle of a Death Foretold.