I also find Mr. Paradise to be reliable because of his honest recollections of traveling across the United States. He openly admits that the only way for him to get to Denver and meat up with his colleagues would be to hitchhike. Along his journey, he adds every gruesome detail of how hard it was to get from state to state. Giving an honest account of his hardships are what mainly give me the sense that his reliability should not be questioned. "I had to run under some pines to take cover; this did no good; I began crying and swearing and socking myself on the head for being such a damn fool." (P.10) Such a quote directly describes how hard it was for Sal to reach Denver, but nonetheless, he expressed every part of his journey. I find it refreshing to have a narrator who is genuine, and although it is surprising, I relish the idea that he will continue to be reliable.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
On the Road: Post 1
1. My first impression of Sal as a narrator was that he was incredibly honest. More so than many other main characters that I've read about who tell their stories as blindly as they see it. Sal seems to be telling the story with his opinion, along bits of information for the future of the novel. Things the reader will understand the more they read. "...I could hear a new call and see a new horizon, and believe it at my young age; and a little bit of trouble or even Dean's eventual rejection of me as a buddy, putting me down, as he would later, on starving sidewalks and sickbeds- what did it matter?" (P.8) The quote in chapter one not only expresses Sal Paradise's current situation, but it also gives insight to what is to come. Proving the narrator's reliability. Sal does not solely describe his current situations, giving the reader the chance to make their own assumptions for various characters. His foreshadowing gives a clearer image of each character's complexity. As he does when introducing Marylou. "But, out side of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things." Such a quote immediately racks the reader's brain on what exactly such a woman is capable of doing.
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2 comments:
I completely agree with you about Sal. You really get the feeling that while he's telling you this story, he's contemplating the choices they all made, and probably coming to new conclusions about it himself. His honesty is very refreshing, as you said, because not many people are like that.
this is a really good post :)
Sal is defiantly a reliable narrator. I agree with your thought that Sal’s honest recollection of his hardships during his journey to Denver proves this.
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