Point Of View: Unreliable Narrator In Literature

Unreliable narrator in Literature

Point of view is the perspective or view from which a writer narrates a story. The reader's understanding of a story all depend on the narrator's opinions, personal judgment, and expression. Point of view can be in the form of first person narrative, second person narrative or third person narrative. Point of view raises questions about the narrator's intent and motive. Why does the narrator present the reader with some information and leave out some details? Regardless the view the narrator employs, the point of view changes a story and controls how the readers experience the event Point of view is one of the most effective tools the narrator has in manipulating the readers. For instance, In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", the narrator uses the third person objective, he tells the entire story, but distances himself or herself from the story which is a strategy to preserve the suspense and surprise of the story .The absence of emotion in the narrator's voice minimizes the horror of the final act, as the reader's clue of the lottery true purpose stem from the nervousness and the unusual mood of the villagers rather than from insight
The form of narrative used here makes it very convenient for the narrator to make his personal agenda to be that of the town’s people, especially when using collective pronoun, turning his personal ideas into a general belief. The narrator separates himself from the story and tells the story after the death of Emily leaving the readers to decide her state of mind and the corpse found in her attic. Had the story been told from the point of view of Emily, the reader would have a different reaction and the mystery in the story would have been absent. The narrator left out some details purposely to infuse the story with