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Narrativization as a theme in suzanne Bernes A crime in the neighborhood
2002 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor)Student thesis
Abstract [en]

All human beings have a great desire for understanding what is happening to us in our lives and that is why we tell stories, to understand. This essay deals with the desire narration as a theme in Suzanne Berne’s A Crime in the Neighborhood and the starting point is Peter Brooks’s theories about desire and intention in narrative. Berne’s novel is an excellent example of the process of narrativisation and the narrator’s need for response is so intensive that the reader finds her/himself plagued by a similar need for answers. The novel’s protagonist is a child who suffers from several betrayals. These are betrayals of different kinds and on different levels. The betrayals she is exposed to makes her a betrayer and throughout the novel the main character, Marsha, is telling stories, which are built on her experiences written down in a notebook. At the same time, she reflects on her childhood when searching for the reason for her actions. Through the process of narrativisation Marsha is finally able to sort out her life because the narration helps her reveal her unconscious. Through her storytelling Marsha reaches the conclusion that there are at least three betrayals that shape her life: the murder in the neighbourhood, Nixon’s treason and most importantly her father’s infidelity. She realizes that the outcome of those betrayals is her own betrayal of Mr. Green, which is the big mistake that she has to live with for the rest of her life. Because of finding a key to her past through narration, she is able to reconcile herself, at least to a certain extent, with the fact that these episodes are what shaped her life. Her narrative also works as an apology to Mr. Green the man she falsely accuses for the murder of a little boy.

Abstract [en]

All human beings have a great desire for understanding what is happening to us in our lives and that is why we tell stories, to understand. This essay deals with the desire narration as a theme in Suzanne Berne’s A Crime in the Neighborhood and the starting point is Peter Brooks’s theories about desire and intention in narrative. Berne’s novel is an excellent example of the process of narrativisation and the narrator’s need for response is so intensive that the reader finds her/himself plagued by a similar need for answers. The novel’s protagonist is a child who suffers from several betrayals. These are betrayals of different kinds and on different levels. The betrayals she is exposed to makes her a betrayer and throughout the novel the main character, Marsha, is telling stories, which are built on her experiences written down in a notebook. At the same time, she reflects on her childhood when searching for the reason for her actions. Through the process of narrativisation Marsha is finally able to sort out her life because the narration helps her reveal her unconscious. Through her storytelling Marsha reaches the conclusion that there are at least three betrayals that shape her life: the murder in the neighbourhood, Nixon’s treason and most importantly her father’s infidelity. She realizes that the outcome of those betrayals is her own betrayal of Mr. Green, which is the big mistake that she has to live with for the rest of her life. Because of finding a key to her past through narration, she is able to reconcile herself, at least to a certain extent, with the fact that these episodes are what shaped her life. Her narrative also works as an apology to Mr. Green the man she falsely accuses for the murder of a little boy.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2002. , p. 22
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-53702Local ID: ENG C-14OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-53702DiVA, id: diva2:1102262
Subject / course
English
Available from: 2017-05-29 Created: 2017-05-29

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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • apa.csl
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More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
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Output format
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  • asciidoc
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