The Role of the Narrator

Tell Me A Story

The narrator is the person telling the story and can range from one to several, within a single story. How the author develops the narration will direct how their work is perceived by the reader. The narrator can present the story reliably or dishonestly, from a compelling view to an ironic view. The author can lose or gain pertinent information simply by changing the narration. Narration is a guide for the reader “…it requires the invention of a narrator,” Diane Middlebook said, “who serves as a contemporary guide to the materials of the book…” (Middlebrook). The narrator of a story is fundamental to the reader’s understanding and, any changes to the narration can change the stories understanding entirely.

“Snow”

“Snow” is a short story in first person narration, told by the main character. Set during a time when people lived in fear of nuclear fallout. Instructions were often reiterated in school and on the radio about how to react when seeing the flash. This nuclear fallout setting lends itself to intrigue and suspense; it is intensified by the use of the narrator. The narrator, a young girl, gives the reader a perspective of child like understanding and, a limited understanding. The main character’s mind is full of nuclear fallout lessons, one after another in class. The main character, which has never seen snow before, sees it begin to snow outside the school window. The girl cries out, “Bomb Bomb”, terrifying the teacher and other students (85). As other girls in the class begin to cry the teacher reassures and explains to the main character what snow is and, that there is no bomb. If the author of Snow had told the story from an adult’s point of view, maybe the teacher’s, the story would lack believabi...

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... been affected. With that being said, the narrative style is still crucial to the story. Writing the story entirely with song titles was made easier by the author choice of the narrator’s first person point of view. If the author had tried to write a third person story of love, using only song titles, the story would not flow as smoothly and most likely not have come together at all. The author would have had a more difficult time finding song titles in third person. In the case of Love and Other Catastrophes: A Mix Tape, the author’s writing style has influenced the choice in narrator perspective. The stories use of first person narration gained a progression and ease that would not have been possible otherwise. The constant changing direction of the relationship was easily followed by the reader, in first person, not so true if the narration had been different.