Earlier in term one, our ASTU 100 class studied Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Obasan by Joy Kogawa, both which utilized child narration. In my previous post on this topic, I proposed that perhaps these books tell their story through children to offer a sense of authority through objectivity. This vital due to the fact Kogawa and Satrapi are both presenting in a sense counter narratives to events that they may see as misrepresented, or not told holistically.

In Part 1 of my exploration of child narration, I suggested child narrators are beneficial if the author is attempting to present a relatively unknown story within the context of a wider trauma. For example, Obasan is set in World War Two, a topic we learn about extensively in school. Kogawa’s focus on the Japanese Canadian experience of internment is introducing new and unfamiliar information to the master narrative of World War Two. The objectivity and honesty of a child narrator is an effective tool here, as the story requires an innocent and objective testimony.

Currently, our ASTU class is reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer. It follows Oskar, an offbeat nine year old who attempts to grapple with the loss of his beloved father on September 11^th in New York City.

Arguably, Foer is not exactly presenting a counter narrative to the events of September 11^th, 2001, but rather exploring its effects upon Oskar, his family, and how he sees the world. Oskar, Nomi and Marji all share a sense of honest victimization. These narrators are not interested in the political or social effects of the events they experienced, but rather they are focused upon the direct effect they have upon their friends and families. Herein lies the power of child narration. They are able to tell a story from a very personal perspective without its importance to the wider narrative being questioned. They gain a sense of authority from the lack of experience and naivety, and their restricted view of the world.

Marji and Nomi’s narratives can be used to offer another perspective to the Real Truth, and question’s its reliability. However, Oskar’s intense search for the Real Truth demonstrates its futility. As Satrapi and Kogawa aspire to add dimension to a master narrative, Foer nearly dismissed the concept of the Real Truth, and instead suggests that individual narratives and loss are of the highest value. This is mirrored in Oskar’s hunt for the key and Mr. Black, and his obsession with concrete facts. Eventually, Oskar ends up with the realization that searching for definite facts is near arbitrary, and shifts his focus to the existing love around him, such as his relationship with his mother.

Essentially, child narrators allow authors to explore concepts from an honest and unbiased perspective. Child understanding of the world is in general limited to what is fundamentally important, such as familial and platonic love. Consequently, they provide authors with a platform in which complicated and sensitive topics can be explored, examined, and more widely understood.