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| "Old Man with Noose" (1923) by Kathe Kollwitz |
Why might the narrator think that happily-ever-after stories strangle the imagination?
Consider how this observation might relate to Sam's strategy of jumbling up bedtime stories in a crazy way that the children find delightful?
Does the author herself have a penchant for metaphorical flights of fancy and jarring juxtapositions that interrupt traditional reader expectations of narrative flow as she jumps from one section to the next?
How is the author's narrative style different from or similar to the main character's way of reading the children bedtime stories?
The narrator may think that happily-ever-after stories “strangle the imagination” because everything resolves neatly, leaving no room for any other interpretation. Hence the comparison of the “neat little bow” being a “noose”. The “fairytale ending” is an idea only in fiction. Reality tends to erode the gloss of fiction and the neat bow is something more sinister. This connects to Sam's way of telling bedtime stories, where he jumbles stories together, and rather than giving them a perfect ending, he gives them something unexpected to think about. Sam's stories resist the kind of closure that the narrator associates with the “noose.”I also feel this describes Katie Yee's own writing style. The narrative frequently moves away from a straightforward, chronological story and instead uses unusual memories and metaphors to interrupt the story. Those interruptions surprise the reader in the same way Sam's bedtime stories surprise his children. However, Sam seems to do this primarily to create joy and imagination for his children, while the narrator's fragmented style often comes from her attempts to understand her own experiences. Sam deliberately makes stories strange and playful; the narrator's narrative becomes strange because her thoughts and memories themselves resist a neat structure. I think the narrators storytelling method is ver intentional because of this. Sam refuses to give his children a predictable, “pretty” story, and so does Yee for us.
ReplyDeleteYes, the two most certainly have very different personalities and character. I think it’s fair to question the purpose of happy ever after stories and the noose around the neck is just illustrating her essence. The narrator is in touch with her shadow side and she embraces that about her self. While on the other hand Sam is a very playful person, and I don’t know that those people are able to attune to their shadowy natures.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator thinks "happily-ever-after" stories are bad because they are all made up. In real life, things get incredibly messy. Her husband had an affair and she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the exact same time. A perfect, neat ending is like a trap because it does not show how life actually works, and it does not help you deal with real pain. This is why random, unpredictable stories make so much more sense instead of happily-ever-after’s. Instead of following a boring story-line, the narrator and the author love to mix things up.
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