Introduction
This essay will cover the importance of the use of multiple narrators in William Faulkner's As I lay Dying and Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. This will further discuss comparison or contrast of both books.
William Faulkner's As I lay Dying
Through the course of fifty-nine segments, As I Lay Dying has fifteen various narrators. The first part goes to Darl Bundren, he introduces us his siblings Cash and Jewel, and Addie his dying mother. They live in Mississippi. His brother, Cash, is an experienced carpenter and is frantically constructing a coffin for her mother. Because Addie wants to make sure that the coffin is built well. In the first few segments of the novel, as Addie is near-death, we read narration from the three brothers with Anse, their father. We also hear from their youngest brother, Verdaman, and their sister, Dewey Dell.
When she dies, family members take her to Jefferson. The coffin is almost lost in the river but Jewel saves it. Darl attempts to burn the coffin that's why Dewey Dell sent him to prison. Dewey Dell is deceived into having sexual intercourse with McGowan. And Anse found a new partner.
Given the experimental dynamics of As I Lay Dying, it does not have a typical leading hero. The three several characters, Darl, Addie, and Anse completed the leading role.
If we take into account that Darl narrates the most range of segments, we can then take into consideration that he can be the narrator or lead character. He could also be considered as an opponent when he tries to ruin Addie's burial.
Considering that the title of the novel is As I Lay Dying, we should look at Addie, the "I" of the subject and most likely the lead character. Their actions were pushed because of her wish before she dies. Faulkner's positioning in one segment after her death, stress her significance to the story.
Anse could be the last lead character. The rest of the characters adhere to Anse because of his compliance to Addie's demand. He comes out of the story onward.
Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane
Charles Foster Kane is a tremendously rich media owner. He has been living on his own in Florida in the last years of his life. He is holding a snow globe and express "Rosebud" when he died. His death turns into astounding news all over the world. News reporter Jerry Thompson attempts to discover about the private life of Kane and specifically to find out the significance regarding his last word. Kane's narrative shows up a sequence of flashbacks. Thompson meets Susan Alexander, Kane's second wife. But she declined to tell him anything. Thompson discovered about Kane's childhood through a banker who served as his guardian.
Flashbacks cover that Kane's childhood was spent in hardship in Colorado. But at the age of 25, he makes his way into the newspaper business. He fails his first marriage to Emily Monroe Norton and marries his mistress, Susan Alexander. He pushes her to a career for which she has no skills and she eventually leaves him. Immediately after Susan left him, the staff remembers that Kane mentioned "Rosebud", after discovering a snow globe.
Welles uses the concept of one storyteller and uses several narrators to recall Kane's life. Every narrator recalls a various part of his life. Citizen Kane shows a prolonged period of time logically. It enables the characters to grow older as the narrative goes on. Rather than being told in entirely chronological way, the story shows up overlapping portions that bring more details as each narrator gives his or her narrative.
The flashbacks are presented from the aspects of characters that are getting older or are forgetful. This portrays doubt on the thoughts being mentioned. These are undependable narrators as their personal opinions and understandings influence their accuracy.\
Conclusion
William Faulkner's As I lay Dying, use multiple narrators. The book is well known for its experimental story strategy. All throughout the fifty-nine sections, there are fifteen characters narrating. This book is about the Bundren family's journey to Mississippi to bury Addie.
It was narrated by each one of the family members as well as Addie herself. One of the novel's key charms is when Faulkner's use numerous points of views to show the emotional make-up of the characters.
In Citizen Kane, the author Orson Welles, use the concept of one storyteller and several narrators to recall Kane's life. Citizen Kane shows a prolonged period of time logically which enables the characters to grow older as the narrative goes on. The story shows up overlapping portions that bring more details. The flashbacks are presented from the aspects of characters that are getting older or are forgetful. This book is about a rich media owner, Charles Foster Kane, whose death became astounding news all over the world.
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. New York: J. Cape, H. Smith, 1930. Print.
Welles, Orson, Herman J. Mankiewicz, and Pauline Kael. Citizen Kane. London: Methuen, 2002. Print.
