Post 7 First person vs. Third person
In an interview for the National Book Foundation
with Rita Williams-Garcia, Alexie reveals he worried that using first person
narrative would turn his novel into a “thinly disguised memoir”; thus, he wrote
an early draft in third person. In this
format, he recognized that he’d created “emotional distance” between Junior’s
experiences – many of his own experiences – and his readers. He adds “I was afraid of the first person
because I was afraid of my own history.”
How would your responses to the novel change if it were written in third
person? Do you think Alexie courageous
for using first person narrative? Explain
by citing examples that you’re impressed or amazed he’d share! Support your insights with references and
page citations!
It is surprising that the first copy of this book was written in third person. If the book was in third person, the reader would not be as connected to Junior’s experiences as they are when reading in the first person narrative. Alexie took a big risk when he decided to write his story in first person. For example, on page 25, when Arnold shares that isosceles triangles make him hormonal, most of us would not be willing to share this information. However the book is better in first person than in third person, mainly because you can connect with Junior easier in first person. For an example, on page 158, you can tell Junior is very upset about his grandmother’s death through the way he is speaking. During the whole end of the book when his grandma, Eugene, and his sister die, you can feel Junior’s emotions better through first person than through third person. Another example of the readers’ connection would be after his dad killed Oscar. Junior described how depressed he was by saying “I thought about crawling into a hole and disappearing forever.”(page 15) If the book was in third person, the reader would not be able to understand how depressed Junior was after this event. Alexie was very courageous when he decided to write the story in first person. If he had not taken the risk, the book would not have been as engaging as it was!
ReplyDeleteIf the book was written in third person, I think the book would be a lot worse. It would be more emotionaly distant. It would be different if someone else was telling you about another person's experiences. There are many emoitional parts in the book: Oscar dying (12),Rowdy and Jr's friendship ending (52), learning Penelope was bulimic (106), Grandma dying (157), Eugene dying (169), and Mary dying (101). Also, the good emotions in the book, like Gordy and Jr becoming friends (94), Penelope and Jr's relationship starting (109), and Rowdy and Jr's relationship healing (228). The story would flow easier. It's always bettter if it comes from the author's mouth... um, words. I truly think he was corageous for using first person. If anyone had a past like that, you would try to forget it. Even with all the acomplishments, there is enough pain in one year for him to last for decades. Third person would just set miles between the real emotions in the book and the reader.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad the author wrote the book in first person. If it was in third I would have a difficult time figuring out what was happening. I would be thinking why did this happen, or what was he thinking when he did that. Then again that happens anyway when I read books, but in this case it would probably just happen more often. For most readers in general, they probably would feel apart from the characters if it was in third person. When a book is in third person, in your mind’s eye you watch what is happening, but feel completely apart from it and confused. In third person, there is less of a connection between the reader and the story itself. Alexie is courageous for writing it in first person because most people don’t like their history. They just want to get through what is going on now. I know I wouldn’t want to share about how my grandma (158), sister (205), or family friend died (170). That takes courage and that is something some people don’t have.
ReplyDeleteIt’s almost impossible to believe that this book was originally in the third person, and I’m glad it isn’t. I, personally, don’t like the third person because it lacks emotion. You become completely disconnected from the character. In the third person, it’s harder to dig deep into the book, as you’re only reading what a common passerby sees or hears. It feels awkward and unnatural in contrast to first person, which is more hands on. I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much if Alexie had published it in third, and I think he was very outgoing to publish it in first. Many books that are written in first person are, in fact, “thinly disguised memoirs”, and I believe that his book was far from it. He achieved a truly great book in ways that others couldn’t. For example, in this book there is a lot of death. Oscar (9), his grandmother (157), Eugene (169), and his sister (201) were all extremely emotional deaths, both for Junior and the audience reading. I nearly cried! This kind of emotional experience could never be achieved in third person, which is why I think Alexie was smart to publish the book in first. If he hadn't, the book wouldn't have even come close to its true potential.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely happy to hear about the decision Alexie made by rewriting this novel in first person. The fact that he would even consider writing a book that is supposed to be a diary in third person is crazy. If this novel was written in third person, it would not feel like a diary at all. A real diary is written from the point of view of the writer, not of a bystander. I agree with Alexie when he says that it would create “emotional distance” from Junior. Reading this book in first person helped me to connect with Junior and his feeling and thoughts. The words I was reading felt more real to me because Junior was the one telling the story of his own life and explaining his actions and emotions. I think that Alexie was extremely courageous for even writing the story of his life in the first place. The fact that he decided to write it as a diary in first person was truly brave. To share such personal moments in his life with the whole world takes a lot of courage and strength. Junior experienced many hard times in his life, such as the deaths of many of his family members and friends. An example would be discovering the death of his sister (201). The emotion in that scene is so strong and genuine that it really draws the reader into the story to the point where it feels like you’re there with Junior, living through the heartbreak right beside him. This could not have been achieved with third person point of view. Another thing I am amazed that Alexie would share with the reader is when Junior tells the story of his young love, Dawn, and how he cried over her (74-75). It seems like that would be an embarrassing moment, especially for a young boy, and I was impressed that he shared it with the world. The fact that Alexie decided to write this book in first person helps the reader to connect with not only Junior, but all of the characters too. It was a very smart and brave decision to write this novel in first person, and the risk he took definitely paid off by making the book more interesting, funny, and emotionally connecting.
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ReplyDeleteIn his interview with Ellen Forne (back of the book), Alexie talked about his emotional connections with Arnold. "Then when I got to the end of the manuscript, where Arnold and Rowdie play basketball, and it was getting dark outside, I felt a tightening in my chest and realized I was about the bawl. It felt like I was playing a bittersweet basketball game with Rowdy. I had a split second to decide whether or not I would cry in the café, and I put my head in my hands, sobbed once, and thought about something else. I had read that section so many times, but until then I hadn't been so deep in Arnolds mind." I believe that Alexie's use of first person in the book gave us all a closer feeling to his character Arnold. Alexie was very courageous for putting his own history first person and sharing it with all of his readers. If the novel were to be written in third person, most readers would never get the personal connection with Arnold. They would never feel what he felt. There are only a certain amount of books that can give you that feeling and this is one of them. It definitely made this book more interesting and personal. In fact, I read the entire book in one day. Without the first person point of view, this book would have been a very bland story.
ReplyDeleteIf The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian had been written in third person, I don’t think we would have been able to understand Arnold’s problems. We would have been excluded from his view of the world. We wouldn’t have understood why he liked to draw, or what he thought of his family, or how much Rowdy meant to him. I think that Sherman Alexie was courageous when he decided to write in first person, because he was basically letting the entire world know his history! For example, I am amazed he wrote about Penelope being bulimic (106). If it happened in his real life, he was giving away information on someone else’s private life! I am also surprised he wrote about how he felt about the deaths of his grandmother (157), Eugene (171), and his sister (205). By sharing all those feelings, it was like he was opening up to the world.
ReplyDeleteMy response would have been different if the novel were written in third person. It would be much harder to understand how Arnold felt and what he was thinking. I liked it in first person because Arnold was telling the story and you got to know everything from his perspective. Alexie was courageous for using first person because it is actually about him. Also, he might have been afraid of letting people know too much about his childhood, and how he felt about it. One thing I was amazed he shared was that his dad shot Oscar. (9) Another thing I was amazed at was that he shared how Eugene died. (169) I am glad the author wrote the book in first person because it made it more interesting and the reader can connect with Arnold by knowing his feelings.
ReplyDeleteIf this novel would have been written in third person I would not have been interested at all in reading the book. Since Alexie used first person, it made me feel like Junior was actually telling me everything that he experienced and thought. It felt as if I was Junior’s best friend. If it were in third person, it would have felt like a teacher was reading a biography to the class about someone else. It made me really connect to Junior’s anguish and despair when his grandmother (158), Eugene (170), and his sister dying (205). Putting the story in first person also made me feel glad and excited during the happy parts of the story, like when Junior and Rowdy repair their relationship and become friends again (228). If this novel were in third person, I would have never felt connected to Junior in any way. I think Sherman is extremely brave and courageous for putting this story in first person. If I had a terrible past that I wanted to put behind me, then I would never have had the guts to put it all in a story in first-person. If Alexie didn’t risk the outcome of his book by putting in first person, then the novel would have never been the same.
ReplyDeleteIf this novel was written in third person narrative, I really don't think I would be interested in reading the book. By writing it in first person format, it allows readers to connect to Arnold's true feelings, which is a lot more interesting then feeling no connection at all. It almost feels like I am a character in his life while he's telling me his story. Alexie was courageous to write the book in first person narrative because he had a hard life, and anyone who reveals all of those secrets to the world is a very brave person. There were a lot of different things I'm surprised Alexie would share with the world. First of all, I though it was crazy he actually told us readers about all of the alcoholic problems that the Indians on the reservation had. Also, when I found out this diary was based on the author's life, I was shocked that he even had the courage to include all of the deaths in his family, like his sisters for example. (205) Overall, Alexie had a lot of courage to write this book in first person, but it was all worth it.
ReplyDeleteIf Alexie had written this book in the third person then I would not like it very much. If it was written in the third person, then it would not seem like a diary at all. I think Alexie is very courageous for writing this story in the first person because he includes many personal details about himself and other people. For example, he talks about how he masturbates (Page 26). He also talks about how Penelope is bulimic. In my opinion, that is really personal information that I wouldn't want to be shared with thousands or millions of people (Pages 105-107). Also, he talks about how he cries a lot and I think that is courageous because most guys don't have the guts to talk about how much they cry. Arnold shares that his friend, Rowdy, is abused by his dad: "His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches, so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces". If I wrote a book about myself, I would not include information about other people that was really personal, although I would include personal information about myself because that wouldn't really affect other people.
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