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In the novel "The Storyteller" by Mario Vargas Llosa, he writes about a man who changes his identity to become accepted in a tribe in the Amazon forests. The setting used in Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake" is much diferent for it is set in a futuristic community with advanced technology. Although these two novels seem to be very different because of the setting and character personalities, the social message is similar. The social message that our technological advancement is overtaking and draining the resources due to our lack of ability to control what we create is apparent throughout the two novels yet the technique used captures interest in the reader.
The technique of mystery urges the reader to continue the novel in hope of completing the puzzles created by the novels. Both authors have created an environment different from our own yet both these obscene setings are real enough that the reader can relate to.
Margaret Awood has chosen to depict a futuristic world with advanced technology and a unique class system.
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For the people who work on scientific research and other gifted people, the live in Compounds away from the pleeblands, where ordinary people live. The two groups are separated bya high security system. Although humans do not have that sort of security, there are clear distinctions between rich parts and the poor parts of a city. Mario Vargas Llosa has decided to use a Peruvian jungle where a large number of the readers would not have vast amount of knowledge of the area let alone know what it feels like to live there but we know it exists.
The lack of knowledge in the Amazon forest widens our imagination about the description placed in the novel. These settings used by the authors bring a place that is not too close to home yet a place that the reader can imagine.
Atwood's setting creates an uneasy feeling for the reader when he finds that it represents his own future. Vargas Llosa, on the other hand, tells us the danger of when the Amazon forests ceases to exist and it is necessary to preserve the forest. Margaret Atwood has a limited omniscient narrative style focused on the memories that has a haunting tone to it. The narrator, Jimmy, has many memories in his head and they are often sited in italics. These memories and random thoughts create suspense of what the significance of these might be. As more events are revealed, the thoughts are still occurring and each time the reader is taken by surprise and attention recaptured. There are conversations that are flashbacks with quotations yet there are others without in discourse such as the Oryx and Jimmy's last conversation (382). The alternating pattern often signifies if it's Jimmy remembering or retelling the conversation. When the third chapter begins in The Storyteller, most readers find the new narrative style obscure yet interesting.
The tone is these chapters are different from the chapters with the narrator of the novel. The phrase "that, anyways, is what I have learned" is found often in the chapters so that the reader knows that the storyteller is always learning. This process of learning in the character's tone drives the drive to continue reading the storyteller's journey because they are odd yet interesting. This slowly reveals Saul identity in the stories such as the scar on his face (212) and asks the tribe if he is evil. The narrative style in both novels creates a tone of uncertainty and the reader wonders if the narrator is reliable. The change of character and the readers desire to unravel the reasoning and purpose of the character's change is one of the things that capture the reader's interest. In Oryx and Crake, Jimmy's change was not of his own doing although it can be argued that he had a choice to pursuit his life. The quick and dynamic change in the world he lived in became an intriguing puzzle where it is slowly put together throughout the course of this novel with flashbacks.
The flashbacks are mostly in a linear fashion starting with "once upon a time, Snowman wasn't Snowman" (19) and create a fable-like recollection of his past, giving us a sense that Jimmy is gone and only Snowman took is place. The transition of Jimmy to Snowman takes place shortly after Jimmy shoots Crake and there is foreshadowing that leads to the discover of that event near the end of the book. Jimmy's territying new world is the possible shocking reality if humans continue their course. In The Storyteller, Saul Zuratas forgoes a change of identity similar to Jimmy yet through his own choice. The novel progresses and the reader slowly draws a connection between the Peruvian narrator's friend and the storyteller among the Machiguengas. Saul's transformation still remains a mystery to the reader but there are many hints throughout the novel. Saul feels that "a Jew is better prepared than most people to define the rights of minority cultures" (99). The minority of the Machiguenga tribe represents the diminishing number of people who use our resources wisely. Once these people cease to exist, so will our resources.
One of the authors' goals in both "The Storyteller" and "Oryx and Crake" is to warn us of the danger of our advancing technology and our scarcity of resources. Knowing a scientific paper filled with facts could become off-putting to a reader, the authors have decided to use a story that would capture the reader's attention with an attractive style. The novels create a mysterious and sometimes confusing narrative so the reader would try to put the pieces together.
Analyzing the Search for Mystery in The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa. (2023, Apr 06). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/an-analysis-of-the-search-of-mystery-in-the-novel-the-storyteller-and-narrator-character-by-mario-vargas-llosa-essay
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