A Visit From The Goon Squad By Jennifer Egan

Overall the book gives a level of depth and openness that was startling as an uninformed individual. As the book is a direct insight to Lori’s schizophrenic mind as she recalls in detail her thoughts and experiences revolving her stays in the psychiatric ward and halfway houses. Indeed the progression of Lori’s illness is reflected in the author of the chapters in her book. For in the middle of the book, where Lori is in the depths of her psychosis, the story is carried on by her parents

One crucial formalist element the author incorporates is the use of point of view. The way the story is told allows the reader to have an exceptional grasp on the meaning. The story’s layout follows the second-person point of view, which gives the opportunity for the author to address the readers directly, rather than just illustrating her own experiences with culture. Throughout the story, Ng redundantly uses the word “you” instead of “I”, for instance when she mentions, “Take pleasure in the surprise on people’s faces when you say, ‘My name is Mackenzie Altman’” (931). The main reason the author chose to peruse a second-person point of view is that she wanted the reader to be able to connect with the story on a personal level.

One artistic aspect of the book is that Stockett chose to tell the story from three different women’s perspectives. Using this stylistic technique helps keep the reader more engaged in the book. Each woman, whether it be Aibileen, Minny, or Skeeter, uses a

   The choice that a novelist makes in deciding the point of view for a novel is hardly a minor one. Few authors make the decision to use first person narration by secondary character as Ken Kesey does in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  By choosing Bromden as narrator instead of the central character of Randle Patrick McMurphy, Kesey gives us narration that is objective, that is to say from the outside of the central character, and also narration that is subjective and understandably unreliable. The paranoia and dementia that fill Bromden's narration set a tone for the struggle for liberation that is the theme of the story. It is also this choice of narrator that leads

When it comes to the topic of obesity, most of us will readily agree that fast food is one of the main causes. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of readily available cheap food on the go. Whereas some are convinced that only unhealthy foods can be fast food, others maintain that fast food can be healthy too. Someone who believes that is Anthony Bourdain. Anthony Bourdain is not only a widely known chef and TV personality, but he is also an author. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978. He has traveled often for his various television shows, which has made him well informed about other parts of the world. Since he has traveled all around the world, been added to the New York Times bestseller

When first introduced to the narrator, readers quickly pick up on how observant she is to the world around her. However as the novel draws to a close, many quick events take place with little to no explanation or commentary from the

The writer composes the story from the perspective of an analyst. She alludes to occasions later on, facts, and information that no character could have known in the setting of the story. Incorporated into the content are genuine quotes said or composed by the general population she expounds on, including the primary character. She utilizes an extremely objective voice, giving successive analysis of distinctive individuals' outlook and continually alluding to insights to demonstrate her point. Since the book does not focus on the point of view of any single character, it peruses more like a news article than a story, which frequently exhausting its groups of readers. Accordingly, Hillenbrand's written work style once in a while obstructs the correspondence of her thoughts because she regularly includes actualities, quotes and investigation in the book; it usually bores audience on the grounds that it peruses more like a news article instead of a

In addition, Chiger utilizes point of view to present her own thoughts and experiences, further pushing the themes. The whole book is written in first person, meaning the author is narrating and explaining everything.

In the chapter “Selling the General” in the book “A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan the main character, Dolly, comes off as relatable mother going through a tough time at first, but the line of work and the people she deals with makes us realize how she isn’t as much as an identifiable person. In the article “The Scourge of ‘Relatability,’” Rebecca Mead defines relatable as “describing a character or a situation in which an ordinary person might see himself reflected” (2014). Dolly is relatable because she is an over-worked single mother with financial problems and struggling to connect with her child, Lulu. On the other hand, she isn’t relatable because she is using her work to protect the image of a well-known dictator. In her article, Mead states that many people automatically see a work as a failure if they cant easily relate to it or the people involved. She goes on to say, it is our own failure to reject a work that we don’t relate to because we can still exercise our imagination to feel empathy and eventually relate to it (2014). Dolly for the most part is not relatable to us, but with a little effort to look past the evil, we can see that Dolly is a loving and concerned parent looking to emotionally connect with her child, which causes us to empathize and ultimately identify with her.

Lester’s presence drags the rest of the characters down a dismal road of hostages, hatred, and suicide. Had Dubus omitted him from the novel, the conflict could have resolved itself in a non-violent manner. However, by adding Lester’s third-person point of view to the first-person perspectives of Kathy and Behrani, Dubus transforms the story into a three-dimensional

In the story the reader gets a feel for what Mollie is experiencing during her day as her husband Gerald. Charlotte Perkins Gilman does an amazing job getting her point across using the third-person limited omniscient point of view. At the end of the story Gerald is now conscious of new views and feelings about women that he never had before. Without Gilman’s use of the third-person limited omniscient point of view the reader wouldn’t have gotten that much out of the

To me, what made this book most fantastic was simply the author’s choice of words and how she was able to reveal so much through about a character’s emotions while never simply stating them. So much power comes in an author’s ability to truly make you feel everything the character does, as this keeps the reader engaged in the story and always want to know more. One of my favorite examples of how Egan does this in A Visit from the Goon Squad is during chapter eight when you learn the story of La Doll, or Dolly, as she rebranded herself to escape the shame of her past mistakes. Her daughter Lulu, a young girl who has grown up with no one but her mother, tagged along on one of Coco's risky business trips to take Kitty Jackson, a washed up actress, to her new fake boyfriend, General B. "Twenty checkpoints presaged their arrival at the general's compound. At each, two soldiers with submachine guns peered into the black Mercedes, where Dolly and Lola and Kitty sat in the backseat. Four times, they were forced outside into the scouring sunshine and patted down at gunpoint. Each time, Dolly scrutinized her daughter's studied

The story is narrated in a third person point of view. The reader sees things through Charlie’s eyes, witch means all his thoughts and observations are being narrated. The conflict in the story is that Charlie wants his daughter back. It is not going to be easy and there are a lot of obstacles from

The strongly placed point of view creates a characteristic voice in the story. The voice ultimately reminds one of a ‘stream of consciousness’-technique, which influences the story in general. The element of changing appellations stresses how the two kinds of processes are going on in the story; the associating way of reflecting along with the developing state of mind. The different use of how the main character titles himself from “Lane A. Dean, Jr. … Lane Dean, Jr. … Lane Dean … Lane”5 shows how he is mentally changing back and forth, emphasizing this circularly and non-linear reflection. On the other hand the naming of Lane’s girlfriend, Sheri, shows a linear development from “his girlfriend … the girl … she … Sheri … Sheri Fisher”6. The way in which the girlfriend is named gives an impression of how the main character is developing his view of the girlfriend throughout the story. From an anonymous approach, ‘the girl’, to actually addressing her by her full name “Sheri Fisher”, This use of the narrative technique creates a stream of consciousness and creates an associating but yet authentic feeling – a feeling that enlightens the complex main theme of the story.

The first example of this narrative, “You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill you mammy” (1). This statement was obviously only spoken between the narrator and her abuser. “I am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl” (1), is a second example of the novel’s point of view. This type of narrative brings the reader close to the quality and rhythm of life that Celie experiences. It allows the reader to intimately get to know Celie. Through Celie’s dialect and poor grammar, the reader becomes personally engaged in Celie’s experiences and struggles. Almost like reading the unedited thoughts that go through a person’s mind.