Narrator Reliability Can we trust Holden?

The POV You Already Know: 1st person: “I”: from Great Expectations: My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. 2nd person: “You”: from Bright Lights, Big City: You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. 3rd person: “He/She”: from Emma: Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

Before we begin digging into whether Holden is a reliable narrator… truthfully consider whether you have ever stretched the truth to make yourself look better in front of someone

For Example: Your significant other breaks up with you.  Do you tell your friends they initiated the break- up or do you bend the truth to make it look like you broke up with them? Everyone in the class gets a 95 or above on a test, you get a 55.  Do you go along with everyone and say you aced the test as well or do you admit that you were the only one to flunk the test? You get in an altercation with an acquaintance who makes you look silly in front of others.  Do you later re-tell the story to your friends making yourself look like the dominant figure in the argument, or do you admit the truth?

A Deeper Look An unreliable narrator is a first-person narrator that for some reason has a compromised point-of-view. In all stories with a first-person narrator, the narrator serves as a filter for the events Usually, however, the reader trusts that the narrator is knowledgeable and truthful enough to give them an accurate representation of the story In the case of an unreliable narrator (sometimes called a fallible narrator), the reader has reason not to trust what the narrator is saying

The narrator may be unreliable for many reasons The narrator may be unreliable for many reasons. Some of the typical scenarios are: The narrator may be of a dramatically different age than the people in the story, such as a child attempting to explain adult actions The narrator may have prejudices about race, class or gender The narrator may have low intelligence The narrator may suffer from hallucinations or dementia The narrator may have a personality flaw such as pathological lying or narcissism The narrator may be trying to make a point that is contrary to the actions of the story or be attempting to libel one of the characters due to a grudge

Consider This! Whatever flaw the narrator has, at some point the reader will realize that the narrator’s interpretation of the events cannot be fully trusted and will begin to form their own opinions about the events and motivations within the story Stories depend on the willing suspension of disbelief, and readers can be pulled out of the story when they realize the narrator cannot be trusted This is why telling a tale from this viewpoint can be problematic. There is a fine line between distrusting the narrator and distrusting the writer

Take out those books! Find two quotes that pertain to Holden’s credibility (chapter 1&2) Write them in your notebook Explain why you think Holden is reliable/unreliable based off your evidence