First Person Narration in Jean Rhys essays

First Person Narration in Jean Rhys essays First Person Narration in Jean Rhys Good Morning, Midnight The dominant figure in Good Morning Midnight is Sasha Jasnen and all action is filtered through her perception. Her voice is the only one heard while the other characters seem to serve just as bit players filling out the scenes of her lifes routines (Nebeker 85). Concentrating on Sashas consciousness, Jean Rhys in fact encourages the readers not to focus on the plot itself but rather in the way Sasha conceives what happens both around and inside her. The authors goal is not to simply narrate a story but to show the rendered perceptions of an isolated and marginalized woman who wages her own battles (Emery 157). In order to achieve that, Rhys opts to use first person narration. This technique turns out to be very effective not only because it reveals the heroines first person awareness of herself and the world she inhibits (Nebeker 86), but also as it helps us understand the behavior of a character as complex as Sasha is. Indeed, comprehending the heroines behavior is not easy as Sasha is an extraordinary character and to a certain extent emotionally unbalanced. What makes it even more difficult to explain her conduct is the fact that there is great discrepancy between her thoughts and her final actions. This is amply demonstrated when she turns the gigolo away although she wants him to stay and make love to her: He has moved so quickly that I havent had time to put my arms around him, or to say Stay, to say Dont do this, dont leave me like this, dont (153-4). To make matters worse, Sasha not only fails to express her real feelings but often lies about them: Yes, I am sad, sad as a circus lioness [...] Then I say: But I am not sad. Why should you think Im sad? (39). To join Sasha in her spirit...