Thursday, April 12, 2012
Molly Birney The Street
In chapters 4-6 of "The Street" Petry decides to take an interesting approach on her writing style and have each chapter be from a different perspective or point of view than the other one. As we discussed in class, this is such a useful technique when trying to present a specific scene to the reader. To be omniscient for more than one character allows for the reader to read deeper into the thoughts and feelings a character has on a situation. For instance in chapter 4, we read about the Super and his reactions to Lutie and Min, while in chapter 5, Min's account of the story is different than the Super's.
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I think the narrative style is quite interesting too. When I first read the chapter where Lutie was paranoid about Jones looking at her and such, I wondered if he really was being creepy or if it was just her being paranoid. Yet, after I read the chapter from his perspective, it was clear that he really was lusting over Lutie and it was not all in her head. It is an interesting take on different perspectives!
ReplyDeleteI believe that the author's use of narration is incredibly important to our understanding of the story. If the author had not written the story this way, we would not have gotten a full picture of the street or the people that inhabit it. However, because we do, and we see all of the horrors that have plagued people throughout their lives, I am better able to picture the worn down look of the street. This haggard view of the street is further amplified because I image all of the characters on it with a slight slump in their walk from all of the weight from the burdens that have been placed on the individuals living on the street.
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