Pros And Cons Of Ella Minnow Pea

Most literary classics, like books required to be read by students, are known to be in first person point of view by a character everyone knows and has a connection with. Mark Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea is a bit out of the box, compared to other novels, since his book is an epistolary novel. This novel is composed of letters written by many different people and to many different people, which allows the reader to feel an emotional connection to all of the characters involved. These emotional attachments draw people's attention to Dunn's unique take on culture epidemics, such as Nollop's; the attachments and connection also stand out compared to other classics. The most likely reason of why Dunn chose to write an epistolary novel is because of the popularity he and it would gain, however the novel may have some flaws since it is made of letters.

Besides gaining attention and being well known, being an epistolary novel has other advantages as well.

Letters are known to be more personal; a letter is a place where people can write as much as they want and expose themselves to the person they are writing to. For example, Nate and Tassie expressed their love for one another within letters they wrote. Admitting your feelings is not an easy thing to say out loud, but in a letter where the fear of judgment washes away since they are not talking in person. All throughout the novel the reader can sense passion, fear, and perseverance radiating off of the characters' letters, which makes the reader understand all of the characters. Another advantage to writing this specific novel made of only letters is the reader allows the reader to see the way the people in Nollop communicate with some of the only language they know taken away. With more and more letters of the alphabet becoming forbidden the people of Nollop must, in a way, create their own language. All these advantages create an understanding and relation between fictional characters and

readers.

This outstanding and unique novel does have its flaws though. In a person's letter you may not know if that is how the character truly feels or if it is just a lie to the person they are writing to. Writing letters can expose characters and their feelings towards other characters, but in this writing style you are not actually in the head of a character and know for certain the truth behind their feelings. Some readers may not be able to interpret the letters correctly or fully understand the concepts going on in the story because the novel is told in only letters. This storyline does not make it any easier. Since more and more letters are becoming forbidden, the characters must find new ways to say and spell words, and some readers might not know what the character is saying. If this novel was told in first person, some of these problems may be solved. The reader would have been able to fully understand the main character and be less confused of the situations taking place if Dunn had chosen to write Ella Minnow Pea in first person point of view.

All in all, this epistolary has both positive and negative qualities, though this form of writing may have been best for this particular novel based on the storyline. If Dunn had chosen to write this novel in first person point of view, it may have been easier, but it would not be the same story or have the same affect. He knew his novel would be way more successful and unique written in an all letter format, and that is why Ella Minnow Pea is an epistolary novel.