Topic > Karen Joy Fowler's use of diverse narrative elements as depicted in her book, We're All Completely Out of Our Minds

The best works of realistic fiction create believable characters and illustrate real-life situations. This is certainly true in Karen Joy Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Karen Joy Fowler is able to use unique narrative techniques to allow the reader to fully understand the narrator's feelings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay We Are All Completely Beyond Ourselves begins in medias res, and the timeline structure allows the author to simulate memory recall. The story goes through several significant parts of his life. The choppy plot structure could also be representative of trauma as she struggles to recite her memories. The way Rosemary remembers her life provides insight into her feelings. The most vivid memories often say a lot about his character. Rosemary's life story involves a lot of Fern. This means that Fern is a significant part of his sense of self. With the reader's exposure to Rosemary's memories, the reader may be able to understand her identity and how she defines herself. Karen Joy Fowler uses anthropomorphism to help the reader recognize Rosemary's feelings towards Fern. For example, it is only on page seventy-seven that we learn that Fern is a chimpanzee. Until that moment, Fern is just Rosemary and Lowell's sister, as well as the daughter of two loving parents. This style allows the reader to see Fern through Rosemary's eyes before revealing Fern's true nature. Fern is not a pet for Rosemary. Fern was his "twin", his "fairground mirror", his "swirling other half". Not his chimpanzee. Karen Joy in Fowler wanted to make Rosemary's feelings for Fern clear and she did. The diary-style story format constantly leaves the reader wondering how the protagonist gets from one place to another due to the need to fill plot holes. Immediately on the first page, the author asks the reader to ask questions. “So the middle of my story comes in the winter of 1996…it had been ten years since I had seen my brother, seventeen since my sister had disappeared.” What happened between her and her brothers? Naturally the narrator in this case would be biased because he knows the end before telling the beginning. This makes the narrator somewhat unreliable as he may leave out details by choice or due to lack of memory. She herself, for example, refrains from revealing Fern's true nature. Not only was she a chimpanzee, but also violent. That violence is what ultimately leads to Fern's exile, which we only learn at the end of the story from her parents. Regardless of this unreliability, readers are forced to keep reading to answer the questions they have. By typing a character, the reader is provided with detailed information to be able to evaluate the protagonist's emotions. If this story had been written in third person, the story wouldn't have been as powerful because it would be difficult to go into detail about multiple characters' emotions. The author wanted the reader to sympathize with the protagonist by delving into her feelings. Since we live in an “I”-based world, first person adds an extra sense of comfort to the reader. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Karen Joy Fowler's writing The style in We are all completely beside us successfully forces the..