In the second section of Beloved the first-person narration that is used definitely adds to my understanding of the inner thoughts of the characters in the novel. Third-person narration can create false perspectives of people and it is interesting when I could finally see how the characters “talked” and viewed situations. Sethe’s haunted past was definitely not a surprise but was interesting learning more about it and she revealed a lot about her character through her monologues. The quote “Should have known better. Did know better. Whatever is goin on outside my door ain’t for me. The world is in this room. This here’s all there is and all there needs to be” (215). This quote is extremely personal and internal within her head and there is no other way to represent this without first-person narration. The narration shift that takes place gives the reader more insight into the lives of the characters we have already learned so much about but from a whole different angle.
I actually think that first person narratives can actually be more misleading sometimes also because it's more bias to the narrator's feelings and emotions, whereas a third person narrative is a bit more objective.
ReplyDeleteI used this same quote because I thought that the first person narration really helped us see how secluded Sethe is, especially once we actually get to see what's going on in her head. Sethe has a really intense past but I agree it is interesting to see how she thinks about it, as opposed to our judgements and assumptions on what it must have been like.
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