Ten Little Indians Group

Question:

littlellllllllol
littlellllll...
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Is there such a figure present in "Ten Little Indians"?

if not, how does this absence of a dominant figure affect the role of the narrator's voice in the story?

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Posted by littlellllllllol on Sunday July 19, 2009 at 9:38 PM and tagged with figure, narrator, role.

Answers:

  1. pmiranda2857
    pmiranda2857 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The narrator in this novel is a third person omniscient narrator, meaning that the narrator is not part of the story, not one of the characters,  and has full knowledge of all the characters and what will happen to each of them.

    "The omniscient narrator knows everything, may reveal the motivations, thoughts and feelings of the characters, and gives the reader information."

    Because the narrator is the author, the suspense is built deliberately so that the mystery deepens and confuses the reader.  It is really hard to figure out who is killing these people when no one can get on or off the island.

    The fact that the narrator is omniscient also makes everything that she tells us about each character very important and the reader looks for clues to who the murderer is and why these people were invited to the island.

    "As the narrator notes, nothing can be hidden in this house, especially the guilt of all the guests who inhabit it. The manner of death Wargrave chooses for himself is also symbolic, and he uses it as a clue to the real identity of the murderer on the island. He arranges to shoot himself in his forehead, the first time as a trick and the second time for real."

    Sources:
    http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term...
    http://www.enotes.com/ten-little/style

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    Posted by pmiranda2857 on Monday July 20, 2009 at 9:10 AM