The Genius of Unreliable Narrators

You have all kinds of friends who tell you all kinds of stories. Some people are more exacting and others exaggerate. Some always leave out certain details when they talk or consistently portray certain people in certain ways. We know what to trust and what to take with a grain of salt because of our experiences with our friends.
 
But do we know when we can trust the narrators of the novels and stories we read? I love reading stories with unreliable narrators because they really make me think. One of my favorite books that includes an unreliable narrator is We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.
 
At the beginning of the story, we don’t have any reason to distrust the story’s narrator, Merricat Blackwood. But as the story goes on, we start to notice that things don’t always add up, that Merricat’s perceptions may not exactly jive with reality. As the readers start to make this realization, they have to think back to everything they’ve learned so far and sift through the evidence. In effect, the literary device of the unreliable narrator turns readers into detectives, and that’s a very effective way to draw them even closer into the action of the story.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
John Knowles’ classic A Separate Peace is set at a New England boys’ boarding school during World War II. Like all teenagers, they have to face the challenges that come with growing up and moving beyond the world they’ve always known. But this particular generation of boys must also grapple with war, fear, and uncertainty.
 
The narrator is Gene Forrester, and he’s telling the story from the vantage point of experience. When the story opens, Gene is visiting his old school about 15 years after the events of the story take place. He’s thinking back to a time that was both golden and glowing as well as tragic and scary.
 
Every now and then, grown-up Gene jumps back into the story to give us some commentary in a nostalgic, adult way. And then the narration returns to the 1940s and the concerns of the school boys.

Is Gene an Unreliable Narrator?
In order to answer this question, we have to take a step away from the story and ask what makes a narrator unreliable? When are you less objective when you’re telling a story? Can you be truly objective about a person who is one of your closest friends or relatives? Do people at funerals seem to be very objective about the person they’re eulogizing? Can you really be objective when you’ve just had a big shock or when you find the world is different than what you thought it was?
 
When it comes right down to it, no one can be truly objective all the time. This is because we’re human, and our emotions and limited perspectives influence the way we see events and people.
 
In Gene’s case, he is dealing with some pretty heavy issues (which I won’t go into in detail just in case you haven’t read the book yet). Even as an adult, his perceptions of the events and people of his high school years will surely cloud his ability to be objective. While he doesn’t seem to be the kind of character who would intentionally mislead anyone, he might not be able to see his friends as others would see them.

More Stories with Unreliable Narrators
If you enjoy stories told by unreliable narrators (like I do), you might want to try these YA books:
 
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Invisible by Pete Hautman
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

A Separate Peace Tolman Hall Guide is Coming Soon
There may not be a better novel out there for teaching young readers about symbolism. If you’re looking for a great novel that introduces symbolism on many levels, get your hands on a copy of Tolman Hall’s new literature unit study for A Separate Peace.
 
Written in 1959, this novel is extremely relatable to teenagers. The characters grapple with fitting in, making decisions, dealing with their own jealousies and insecurities, and wondering what to do with their lives. At the same time, the setting is foreign and intriguing to many readers and offers an intimate glimpse into an interesting time and place.
 
Get a copy of A Separate Peace and a Tolman Hall literature unit study for three to four weeks of quality literature curriculum. Schedule your unit for the January. It will be ready for you by then.

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