That was the end of the life of Sahei Inugami – the end of his eighty-one turbulent years. But, as the narrator reveals, they have no way of knowing, as they sit at his deathbed, what tragedies await them. Sometimes, this irony is used for humorous effect but more often, we’ll see it as a device for ratcheting up the suspense.įor example, in Seishi Yokomizo’s mystery novel The Inugami Curse, a wealthy family awaits their patriarch’s death to see who will inherit his fortune. That is where the reader knows something that the main characters do not. This particular moment would be impossible to describe with a limited viewpoint.Īs well as knowing what every character knows, the omniscient narrator is privy to all things that they don’t know - information that can be shared with the reader at critical moments to great effect.Īll-seeing narrators can summon suspense from thin airĪn omniscient narrator knows more about the events of the story than the main characters do, so they can be used to create tension and dramatic irony. With this brilliant example of show, don’t tell, we can see the strength of their connection in its quietest, most private expressions. Ennis’s thoughts are simpler, imagining ants on a tablecloth, while Jack’s are grander and more romantic, conjuring up fire and sparks in the night. The images playing in their heads are a great reflection of their character. Unbeknownst to each other, both Ennis and Jack look for each other during the day, demonstrating how they are present in each other’s thoughts. In this passage from Annie Proulx’s short story "Brokeback Mountain," we are privy to two separate, private moments of longing.ĭuring the day Ennis looked across a great gulf and sometimes saw Jack, a small dot moving across a high meadow, as an insect moves across a tablecloth Jack, in his dark camp, saw Ennis as night fire, a red spark on the huge dark mass of mountain. The narrator can also know things about the characters they aren’t aware of yet – or would be willing to divulge if they were the ones telling the story. As they already know what each character is thinking and feeling at all times, an omniscient narrator gives authors the unique opportunity to examine many characters’ psyches at once.
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