Function of Storytelling Essay

The novel Atonement by Ian MCewan and the short storey The Things They Carried by Tom OBrien both(prenominal) employ storytelling as a form of redemption. This is achieved in severally text through the cashiers freedom to manipulate the content and truth of the narrative in erect to amend past wrongs and to imagine a more comforting, alternate reality. In Atonement, the narrator , briony uses her literal imagination to alter the story of her career in hope to seek redemption for past actions with great consequence, turn the narrator in Tim OBriens The Things They Carried tells and retells his version of the memory to attention it become real. Both narratives show storytelling to be a possible better process.P1-First step to redemption is to admit the reason for your deception. A novels allows narrator to blackleg the motive behind his/her sin. briony initial stage towards redemption is by confessing the dangers of interpretation. excerpt- To herreading a sentence and un derstanding it were the same thing as with the crooking of a finger, nothing between them. There was no gap during which symbols were unravelled(37) -quote shows Brionys belief in the ease of interpretation which leads her to jump to conclusions she corporation never change. The blame for the tragedy is not only due to Brionys misinterpretation of events , but the misguided nature of interperation provided by books.The Things They Carried -The narrator describes the difficult conditions of war by describing the emotional and physical baggage they carry. surrogate Jimmy Cross carried the love letters from Martha. These horrible conditions forced deputy cross to day dream virtually Martha which lead to Ted Lavenders terminal. -quotetold they carry pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatchesand two or three quite a littleteens of wet which weigh between 15 and 20 pounds(241). -quote allows the reader to feel the fire weight of being a soldier, which words cant manifestly explain. T he narrator demonstrates the reasoning for Lieutenant crosss daydreaming as a way to escape from chaos of Vietnam war.P2-Using storytelling another step towards redemption is taken by characters revealing repentance by punishing themselves for their wrong doing (reveal repentance/remorse) -briony becomes a nurse and turns away Cambridge. She writes about the hard work she does as a nurse. quote Whatever skivvying or humble nursing she did and however well or hard she did it, whatsoever illumination in tutorial she had relinquished ,or life while moment on a college lawn, she would never undo the damage. She was unforgivable-Lieutenant Jimmy burns Marthas letter and pictures, thus destroying his distracting fantasy in order to become a true soldier -quote Lavender was dead. You couldnt burn the blame-Something is scatty in explanation. How can I tie in that acts of remorse both did not make amends.P3-Novel is attempt by narrators to erase the wrong he/she did. The outcome of redemp tion differs for each narrator. -Briony alters the destruction of the ending of the story in hope to seek redemption but does not achieve it because quote The problem of these fifty-nine years has been thishow can a novelist achieve propitiation when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one , no entity of higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive her -No matter how some times she rewrites the story she volition never receive Robbie and Ceciles forgiveness. She cant achieve self forgiveness because no alternate ending that she imagines will replace the true ending. -The only way Briony will end her guilt is when her memory fails and she dies. (disease)-Narrator for The Things They Carried achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death because storytelling allows the memories of Ted Lavender to stay alive. -Storytelling enables the narrators memories to be shaped and rearranged in order to make sense of past events and make them real -The narrator achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death by storytelling because each time the story is told or retold the soldiers in the Alpha connection are being given a new life each time by the reader. -quoteAt first, we learn he was shot and killed distant Than Khe (OBrien 241) and gradually learn Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing (OBrien 246).