The narrator is “the technique that writers use to create a particular point of view from which they will tell the story, present the actions, and shape the readers' responses” (Gillespie 927). The narrator can be omniscient, meaning that they do not take part in the action, but know everything that happens in the story and what the characters are thinking. The narrator can also tell a story from the first-person point of view, meaning that the participate in the story and tell it from one point of view. Haruki Murakami tells his story “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” with a first-person narrator. His narrator gives an account of when he met this “100% perfect girl” and then even further goes into a first-person narrative when he tells the story he wishes he could have told her. Steven Moore said that “he writes uncanny, philosophical, postmodern fiction that's actually fun to read” (The Complete Review). I found this story to be very enjoyable; Murakami has clever humor, and I think the first-person narrative style is a very effective tool to tell this story.
Murakami starts his story with almost a repetition of the title: “One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku neighborhood, I walk past the 100% perfect girl” (Gillespie 285). Murakami uses the pronoun “I” because it is his narrator that is experiencing this. The narrator then divulges into his thoughts on the girl. He says that she is not particularly pretty, but “still, I know from fifty yards away: She's the 100% perfect girl for me” (Gillespie 285). The first-person narrative style is really effective here because the reader can feel what the narrator is feeling and understand what the narrator is thinking.
The narrator then thinks of all the things they could have done together if he would have talked to this girl, so he regrets that he did not talk to her while he had the chance. He thinks of all the things he could have said to her, such as: “'Good morning, miss. Do you think you could spare half an hour for a little conversation'” (Gillespie 286), but then he thinks to himself “Ridiculous. I'd sound like an insurance salesman” (Gillespie 286). Many men can relate to this—trying to figure out what to say to a girl, but throwing out every option because it just does not sound good enough. The use of the first-person narrator allows us to hear the narrator's thoughts, which makes for comic remarks like the insurance salesman remark, and many men can relate to the narrator in this particular situation.
Finally, the narrator decides what he would say to this girl—a story. He tells us the story he would tell her, which enhances the effect of the first-person narrative. The story is told in an omniscient style because the first-person narrator is telling the story to the reader, but it still feels like the narrator is talking directly to the reader. Because the narrator is a first-person narrator, the setting feels personal and intimate even when he tells his story. When he is finished with his story, he says “yes, that's it, that is what I should have said to her” (Gillespie 286). This statement creates the feeling that the narrator was having a conversation with the reader while telling the story, and after hearing it aloud, he is reassured by it.
Thus, the first-person narrative method is a good tool for Murakami to use in telling this story. It really creates a good personal feeling, as if the narrator is just telling a story about this girl he met to his friend or something. The story is also more relatable and more comedic, as we are able to hear the narrator's thoughts (like the salesman quote above). These small remarks have a profound effect, as they make the story that much more relatable. The first-person narrative method gives the entire story the feeling of a conversation between two friends, and it is very enjoyable this way.
Works Cited
Gillespie, Sheena, Tony Pipolo, and Terezinha Fonseca. Literature Across Cultures. New York: Pearson, 2008. Print.
“Murakami Haruki at The Complete Review.” The Complete Review. M.A. Orthofer, 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.
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Michael Zacharias
ReplyDeleteThis was excellent Kaleigh, I was going to use this story for my work. My favorite stories are the ones you have described here where the narrator talks in the first person. When I think about my favorite movies they all have the main character narrating the film about themselves. The main character will tell the story. A good example of this is the movie “Big Fish” where the old man tells the story of when he was a boy. Another good movie that is first person is “The Notebook” which I believe won a few academy awards. As you can see I definitely agree with your last sentence in your first paragraph when you say that first person is an effective tool to tell this story, because only the main character can truly know what type is his perfect girl.
One of my favorite things about first person narrative styles is the fact that the narrator can actually depict what the character is feeling. When you talk about the character saying, “Yes, that’s it, that is what I should have said to her.” This is a way for the author to give the reader some insight on what he was thinking in a certain situation. You can only find this in a first person style.
Thank you Michael! I really like the first-person narrative style as well. I really liked "Big Fish" and "The Notebook" too, but I didn't even think about the fact that they both have the main character narrating the film. That is a great connection to make!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this story. I almost picked this one to write on too! I think you did a great job talking about the narrative structure of the story. I also agree that since the story is in first person narrative form, it is a lot more relatable. Great job!
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