Shamsie's Use of Perspectives

     I believe there are many reasons why Shamsie gave each section of the novel a different character’s perspective. First off, I believe Shamsie sectioned her novel because it allows for the reader to gain a deeper connection with the speaker as they go through their own thoughts and feelings. With the changes in perspective, we are able to delve into the speaker’s daily lives and see their side without having any bias. By the end of the novel, we will be able to understand the exact thoughts, feelings, and interactions each character has gone through. Shamsie also uses this tool in order to make the novel clear for the readers to understand. Providing the different character perspectives also allows the reader to follow and watch how the character develops over time. If the entire novel was written from a first person point of view, the reader would not be able to make their own unbiased judgements on each of the characters. For example, if the novel were to solely be told from Isma's point of view, the reader would never be able to understand Parvaiz’s motives for leaving. As we read the Parvaiz section, we sympathize for him and realize he is in deep trouble and that he follows along with what others do and say. We also would never fully understand how he did not see himself as his own person, more like “Aneeka’s sister” or “the other twin” rather than Parvaiz. Overall, Shamsie’s use of different perspectives not only provides for a clear character analysis and understanding, but it allows the reader to fully recognize the role each of the characters play in each other's lives. I believe she put them in the order she did to introduce the lead character or motherly figure(Isma) first and then the rest of the “supporting”characters to follow. The order is very important, and if it were in a different order I believe we wouldn't get the same message out of the novel.  The characters' perspectives develop the plot, and although I have not read the final section, I noticed it is from Karamat’s point of view which may tie the entire book together. 

Comments

  1. Bailey BlackOctober 2, 2021 at 8:33 PM

    I think your point that the final section, which is from Karamat's point of view, may tie the entire book together is an interesting one. Because Karamat really only has a personal relationship with Eamonn, I could see the tone of that section feeling different from the rest. I wonder if we'll get some entirely new content or whether it will just be reflections on what has already occurred.

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  2. KrisOctober 3, 2021 at 11:05 PM

    Although I agree with the overall sentiment, and definitely agree that the final section will likely tie together the entire story, I disagree that the reader would be unable to tell the motivations of other characters if the story was told in a first person perspective. If the story were to be told from a single perspective, then other character's motivations could be explicitly told through dialogue, or the reader could be left to infer through textual clues, which is equally meaningful, as not all motivations have to be told.

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    Replies
    1. Michelle BOctober 5, 2021 at 1:31 PM

      This point seems crucial--without other perspectives, we aren't likely to question the one perspective we get. With many perspectives, we know there are many different ways of seeing the same event or problem or debate.

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