Unreliable Narrator Essay
Unreliable Narrator Essay
Gothic literature intends to thrill readers leaving them confused, or to dwell on the thought that there is something beyond us. Two widely known gothic literature authors and their works are “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe, and “ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. Poe and Bierce not only write gothic literature, but both authors utilize unreliable narrators in their works to their advantage. Poe and Bierce had different intentions for the effect of the unreliable narrator on their audiences. Poe’s unreliable narrator constantly switches back and forth between reality and fantasy. “Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan” (Poe 117). Bierce’s unreliable narrator draws confusion, leaving his readers confused and puzzled. “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge” (Bierce 8). These gothic narrators have readers engaged in the text, figuring out what really is occurring.
Not everything one is told by a narrator is true. In “The Black Cat” Poe’s narrator changes between reality and his fanatical state creating mystery. “What added, no doubt, to my hatred of the beast, was the discovery, on that morning after I brought it home, that, like Pluto, it also had been deprived of one of it’s eye” (Poe 119). This quote makes some ponder on the thought that the new cat is no ordinary cat, but indeed Pluto himself from the grave, seeking vengeance on his abusive owner and murderer. Throughout the story, Poe’s delusional fanatical state becomes clear not only through his dialogue, but through his actions as well. “One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about it’s neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;-hung it
Gothic literature intends to thrill readers leaving them confused, or to dwell on the thought that there is something beyond us. Two widely known gothic literature authors and their works are “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe, and “ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. Poe and Bierce not only write gothic literature, but both authors utilize unreliable narrators in their works to their advantage. Poe and Bierce had different intentions for the effect of the unreliable narrator on their audiences. Poe’s unreliable narrator constantly switches back and forth between reality and fantasy. “Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan” (Poe 117). Bierce’s unreliable narrator draws confusion, leaving his readers confused and puzzled. “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge” (Bierce 8). These gothic narrators have readers engaged in the text, figuring out what really is occurring.
Not everything one is told by a narrator is true. In “The Black Cat” Poe’s narrator changes between reality and his fanatical state creating mystery. “What added, no doubt, to my hatred of the beast, was the discovery, on that morning after I brought it home, that, like Pluto, it also had been deprived of one of it’s eye” (Poe 119). This quote makes some ponder on the thought that the new cat is no ordinary cat, but indeed Pluto himself from the grave, seeking vengeance on his abusive owner and murderer. Throughout the story, Poe’s delusional fanatical state becomes clear not only through his dialogue, but through his actions as well. “One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about it’s neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;-hung it