Bento Retrospective Narration

Point of View and Narration in Bento

• Bento's Retrospective Narration:

  • Shapes our perception of events and other characters.
  • Raises questions about potential biases in his recollections.

• Example of Bias:

  • Interpretation of Capitur's actions towards Bento.
  • Narrator unable to see that Capitur would kicked Bento so that he would stop.
  • Narrator's unfulfilling conclusion: "show the mysteries of the soul and carry on."
  • Highlights limitations in recollection and reconstruction of events.

Narrator Perspective

• Omniscient Narrator:

  • Definition: All-knowing narrator.
  • Examples: Harry Potter uses an omniscient narrator.
  • Distinction: Unlike Hunger Games (Katniss' perspective) or Percy Jackson (Percy's perspective), Bento is narrated by a character.

• Bento's Narration:

  • An old man remembering his life, potentially with bias.
  • Trying to justify his actions and give meaning to his current life.

Skepticism and Truth

• Crucial Point:

  • Chapter one ends with: "some books only owe their titles to the authors. Other books, they don't even owe their title to the authors", indicating subjectivity.
  • Chapter 45 (page 96): Narrator acknowledges reader's skepticism: "cheek your head reader, I know you don't want to believe me."
  • Invitation to readers: Be skeptical of the narrator.

• Narrative Purpose:

  • The story may be what the narrator needs, not necessarily what actually happened.

• Example:

  • Differing perspectives on an after-school activity (child vs. parents).
  • The story one needs can differ from the true story.

Solar Phase

• Current Stage:

  • Still in the "solar" (sunny) part of the novel.
  • Not yet into jealousy, paranoia, or obsessive themes (e.g., doubts about paternity).

• Bias:

  • Bias becomes more evident as the story progresses.

Pacing and Descriptive Language

• Pacing:

  • Varies throughout the novel.
  • Romantic moments (e.g., the kissing scene) are slowed down, indicating importance to the narrator.
  • End of chapter 54 speeds moves quickly through time with less detail.
  • The fantasy start opens up with slower pacing.
  • Chapter 13 speeds up as Bento overhears the conversation about going to the seminary.
  • Emotionally dense scenes (e.g., holding hands, reading, final moments before separation) slow down.
  • Controls rhythm and tension, manipulates, and adds fragmentation

• Emotional Scenes:

  • Key emotional scenes heavily impact the old man and are remembered vividly.

• Uneven Time Flow:

  • Especially noticeable from chapters 35 to 54.

• Effect of Pacing:

  • Highlights what is important to the narrator.
  • Helps readers understand his emotions better.

Descriptive Language and Imagery

• Sensory Details and Imagery:

  • Bring scenes and settings to life.
  • Create specific atmospheres or moods.

• Examples:

  • Combing hair scene: Slows down pacing, allows readers to imagine the scene.
  • Hearing sounds from the streets: Captures the experience of shock and dissociation.
  • Religious procession: Overwhelming emotions and devotion of the people.

• Connection to Pacing:

  • Longer the description, the longer we stay in the scene.

• Sensory Details:

  • Things you can see and hear.

• Imagery

  • Help establish a mood.
  • E.g., confusion, loneliness, disorientation.

Bias and Perception

• Ambiguity:

  • Author keeps the narrative ambiguous.
  • Sets the foundation for what is to come.

• Character Portrayals:

  • Kapitu Spoken of lovingly and affectionately at times.
  • Other times described as mysterious.

• Narrative Focus:

  • Focuses on narrator's actions and feelings in relation to Kapitu.
  • Emphasis is on himself while in relationship with Kapitu.
  • Narrator analyzes or retells his actions at approximately 70%; Kapitu's at 30%.

• Reader Experience:

  • Narrator wants to focus on what gets most attention detailed chapters.

• Ambiguous

  • There are times where Zaz is described in a loving and affectionate manner.
  • There are also times where she is described as mysterious.
  • Other times we don't understand her actions and we just say, the soul has mysterious ways.

• Capital Challenges

  • Setting the foundation for further criticism, power, and jealousy.
  • Challenges him, comes back stronger, quicker, clever, more clever, wittier.

Pacing

• Stopping the story to converse, talk to the reader
  • Also pacing adds to our experience of reading.

Direct vs. Indirect Characterization

• Direct Characterization:

  • Direct description of a character's appearance, mannerisms, etc.
  • Example: Describing Donna Barlow's way of dressing and walking.
  • Example: Combining the character with he walks very slowly, not because he's a slow walker, but because he's choosing to walk slowly.
  • Shows he is very calculative he knows what he's doing.

• Indirect Characterization:

  • Revealing a character's traits through their actions, dialogue, etc., without directly stating them.

• Example:

  • Kapitu laying out the plan for how they won't go to the center in Chapter 18, page 40.
  • The actions of trying to lay out a plan or trying to control the situation reveal how clever and quick she is.
  • Describes the torrential rain of her being clever, quick, witty

• Example:

  • A leader comes in and says, he was back in two weeks.
  • Reveals he wanted to take advantage of the family.

• Kapitu

  • Show him that you will be master one day.
  • Show him that you are determined. Praise him too.