 |
| "Woman at a Window" (1822) by Caspar David Friedrich |
Now that you've finished reading the novel, reflect on one or more of these questions:
Why do you think Yee chose:
1) to never reveal the main character’s name?
2) to not divide the book into chapters?
3) to make it clear the main character’s marriage is over within the first twenty pages of the book only to have the main character then spend a large portion of the remaining text reflecting upon (and thereby sharing) details about her relationship to Sam?
4) to pay relatively limited attention paid to the surgery?
I feel that the author did not name the narrator as a way for the reader to better connect to the story. Without a name to the narrator the brain might even imagine yourself in the book going through the motions of each page. I believe it helps you better immerse yourself into the story, tone, and the emotions conveyed on each page.
ReplyDelete149B. I agree that connection with the reader may be a part of not giving the narrator a name. Do you think it could also be to symbolize that the author is finding a new identity throughout the book? Maybe she relates more to her birth name and less to her "Americanized" name. The book talks about people growing into names and how she struggled to name her own. I think the avoidance of a name is to avoid giving her a set identity, or to show a changing story.
DeleteI think Yee chose to not divide the book into chapters to show the narrator's thought process throughout the book. The long, two page sections that are followed by a short, two sentence thought gives the novel character. It makes it feel more like you are reading someone's thoughts rather than a story. Having the novel this way made it easier to read as well as feel more connected to the narrator.
ReplyDelete