Here S Herbie
Here’s Herbie
“Here’s Herbie” mainly occurs within a train, but the setting itself switches between Queens and Manhattan.
The narrator tells us that when he was just 15 years old, he was in a constant stage of teenage depression, as his mother was both mentally and physically ill. In a couple of years, he had to travel to Manhattan twice a week because of his needs of injections due his allergy. However, he despised the trip, because it held many terrors for him, one being that he had to get on the subway. The only thing he enjoyed of the trip was sitting in the front car; he loved looking out of the window, but never had the courage to go up and stand in front of it. One day, as he was sitting in the train, a guy entered the train and started yelling in a very loud voice: “Herbie’s here. Here’s Herbie!” To begin with, the narrator considered Herbie as a retard because of his rather strange appearance. However, as soon as Herbie sat by the front window with his steering wheel and started imagining himself steering the train, the narrator felt this common identity between them. Towards the ending, we’re told that the narrator actually ended up doing the exact same thing on his way home.
Narrator
The story is written in a first person narrator, meaning it’s written from the I-person’s point of view. The narrative technique is already shown from the first sentence: “When I was fifteen, I was possessed of a great many psychosomatic complaints.” (p. 62).
Since it’s a first person narrator, the point of view is quite limited. We’re only witnessing the situation in the story through the main character’s opinions and feelings. The use of a fist person narrator gives the readers a glimpse into the real inner feelings and frustrations of the main character, as in: “I felt it would be embarrassing, extremely uncool…” (p. 63). Considered the fact that the narrator actually is an older person, the point of view is according to my own way of thinking quite reliable. There
“Here’s Herbie” mainly occurs within a train, but the setting itself switches between Queens and Manhattan.
The narrator tells us that when he was just 15 years old, he was in a constant stage of teenage depression, as his mother was both mentally and physically ill. In a couple of years, he had to travel to Manhattan twice a week because of his needs of injections due his allergy. However, he despised the trip, because it held many terrors for him, one being that he had to get on the subway. The only thing he enjoyed of the trip was sitting in the front car; he loved looking out of the window, but never had the courage to go up and stand in front of it. One day, as he was sitting in the train, a guy entered the train and started yelling in a very loud voice: “Herbie’s here. Here’s Herbie!” To begin with, the narrator considered Herbie as a retard because of his rather strange appearance. However, as soon as Herbie sat by the front window with his steering wheel and started imagining himself steering the train, the narrator felt this common identity between them. Towards the ending, we’re told that the narrator actually ended up doing the exact same thing on his way home.
Narrator
The story is written in a first person narrator, meaning it’s written from the I-person’s point of view. The narrative technique is already shown from the first sentence: “When I was fifteen, I was possessed of a great many psychosomatic complaints.” (p. 62).
Since it’s a first person narrator, the point of view is quite limited. We’re only witnessing the situation in the story through the main character’s opinions and feelings. The use of a fist person narrator gives the readers a glimpse into the real inner feelings and frustrations of the main character, as in: “I felt it would be embarrassing, extremely uncool…” (p. 63). Considered the fact that the narrator actually is an older person, the point of view is according to my own way of thinking quite reliable. There