Narrative Conventions "The Reencounter"

Narrative Convention

“The Reencounter”

By: Isaac Singer

In this story we have an all knowing narrator or a third person omniscient point of view. I think that this story needs an all knowing narrator who is outside the story. If the story was told from Liza’s or Max’s point of view the reader would have been really confused with the thoughts of the other person. Having someone to explain what they are both thinking really clarified the story for me. For example if the story was told in Liza’s perspective we wouldn’t have answers to all of her questions that she asked Max. We would have known what she had thought. Not what Max really answered.

Seeing the story from the outside in also help me to come up with the conclusion that both of our charters have problems dealing with reality. They both cannot come to grips with the fact that they are no longer living. Max cannot understand why he is with Liza after so many years of being apart. Liza cannot understand why she is alive but still dead at the same time. I think the last line “Of all my disenchantments, immortality is my greatest.” (Page 241, from the story “The Reencounter” By: Isaac Singer) Means that Max doesn’t want to be alive forever. Again if this was told in a first person narrative with Liza’s point of view, we wouldn’t have known that.

Using this point of few, third person omniscient, helped me and I’m sure most of you to understand the story better. If Singer had used another form we would be missing some of the most important details of the story. The way he used this point of view works perfect to easily comprehend the story.