the purpose of a narrator

A detailed Summary of the purpose of a narrator

"The role of the narrator influences the type of relationship we have not only with him or her but also with the story" (Landy 75). This quote was taken from our Literary Studies book in which we have read several stories concerning different styles of narration. Narration is one of the most important components of a story. The characters, plot, setting, and theme are also significant, however the narrator sets the mood and also the pace of the story. Two good examples of narration is the short tale The Zebra Storyteller by Spencer Holst and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These are stories in which the narrators retain certain styles of narration. An outside book that we have not read is the fairy tale Cinderella. In these three works, the narrators have specific functions or duties to carry throughout the story.

In The Zebra Storyteller the narrator is a Siamese cat but the narrator is also an outsider. During the story the cat tells a story to his friends about how skillful and 'powerful' he is at killing zebras. Towards the end of the story the cat is handed his fate; he is kicked and killed by a zebra, who sensed feared when approached. At the end of the story Holst concludes with the statement, "That i

Narrator's in stories whether they be short or long have many specific roles. They can teach an important lesson, control the story, amuse, and entertain. A significant theme can be taught by the way the narrator tells the story and how the atmosphere or mood is created. If there was not an effective narrator in a story, the story would not be worth reading.

The fairytale that I chose to discuss the narrator role was Cinderella. This story is a very popular tale among young children especially me when I was little. In this story the narrator is an outsider who tells the story of a young girl who meets a prince that she falls in love with. Cinderella is a greatly imaginative story where the reader can picture and imagine scenes throughout the story. The narrator describes in great detail major points of the story. He writes, "And not just the kind thoughts, and love, but also dresses, shoes, shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home comfort" (Dulac 1). He describes the way the evil stepsisters treat Cinderella and how harsh and distasteful they are. There is much dialogue incorporated in the story from all the important characters. The narrator's purpose in this story is to simply tell the story from an outside perspective. He is not a character in the story but he does have a role throughout. When the fairy godmother turned the mice into horsemen the narrator remarks, "The pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachman, in a smart uniform and carrying a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes" (Dulac 2). The narrator in Cinderella has a magical way with wo

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1124
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English