The Role of the Narrator and Point View in the Story Munro, Alice ‘Dolly’
In this story, the narrator begins by claiming that there had been discussions about their death, considering that she was 71 years old, and her husband, Franklin, was 83 years old. The narrator continues to inform the audience that due to their advanced age, the couple had made plans for their burials and would not be cremated. In this instance, the narrator’s perception is that they can die anytime because of their old age (Munro 234). With death so near, the narrator’s role is to write a note informing people that when they finally die, people should know that they never died of serious disease, but it was out of their own volition. The narrator believes that they owed people an explanation about their death. At 71 years of age, the narrator still believes that she is not younger than her partner; Franklin. The narrator’s point of view in this instance focuses on the notion that age is just but a number. Franklin, who is 83 years old undertakes more strenuous exercises than she does.
The narrator discusses memories of her days as a mathematics teacher and her current occupation as a biography writer (Munro 236). However, the narrator perceives that writing poems is a much lesser task than riding horses. On the other hand, the narrator plays a significant role in dispelling the log-held myth about gender and occupation. The narrator is a mathematics teacher who started writing after becoming restless staying at home. The narrator hopes to write captivating autobiographies about Canadian novelists that have received little attention. The narrator’s point of view after retirement is that retirees can still be productive by engaging in other activities such as writing books and autobiographies.
The narrator in this story is depicted as a warm and generous woman when she welcomes Gwen, the cosmetics vendor into her house. The narrator’s warmth and generosity is shown when she offers the woman a cup of black coffee and agrees to buy her merchandise. The narrator recalls that she Gwen appeared nervous as if she had planned to steal from them (Munro 239). Gwen confessed that her husband whom she had never married officially had died the previous year and she was not married because she did not want to confirm to societal expectations. After the first meeting with Gwen, the narrator confesses that she felt the visitor was likely to disturb them. The narrator’s feminine instincts must have alerted her about who exactly Gwen was.
When Gwen came back the second time, she met Franklin. The narrator felt threatened when Gwen recognized Franklin because their meeting depicted some level of acquaintance. Even in her old age, the narrator and her partner were intimate hence the presence of another woman threatened their relationship. The narrator was an external observe of a somewhat intimate reunion between Gwen and Franklin (Munro 242). Furthermore, the narrator’s fears were confirmed when Franklin referred to Gwen as Dolly. On her part Gwen admitted that nobody had ever called her by that name. Matters became complicated when Gwen, now ‘Dolly’, referred to Franklin as Frank. At this point the narrator was convinced that the two had a history together because they referred to each by their nicknames. According to the narrator, Franklin’s depiction of Dolly in his poem as a lavish and somehow weird woman fitted the woman who was right in her house. However, the narrator does not consider Franklin’s past lover as a threat to her because she was uneducated and superstitious. The narrator’s role a jealous woman came to the limelight when she realized that she had met in person ‘Dolly,’ the character in Franklin’s poem.
After the conversation between Franklin and Dolly, the narrator felt lonely and isolated. The narrator considered Dolly as a rival who had come to ruin her relationship with Franklin. Furthermore the narrator felt threatened when she woke up and found Dolly in her kitchen cleaning the dishes (Munro 245). Finally, when Franklin drove away with Dolly, the narrator felt irritated and jealous. In her state of anger, the narrator quickly packed her bags and just drove off to Cobourg town. She wanted to run away from the realities of life and maybe seek revenge on Franklin. Once in Cobourg, she checked into a hotel room where she felt colder and lonelier.
Going to Cobourg rekindled the narrator’s memory about the town’s reputation. She confesses that she too used to visit Cobourg to satisfy her sexual desires. The narrator had a presupposition that Franklin and Dolly were restarting their love affair wherever they were (Munro 253). Having had an illicit affair with an older teacher in the past, the narrator played the role of a home breaker who did not care what the man’s wife felt. Even at 71 years of age, the narrator had love feelings for her partner who 82 years old. The narrator felt threatened by the presence of Dolly in her house leading her into driving away to Cobourg.
Conclusion
In this story, the narrator and Dolly are aware that being in love, getting married and living with a partner is a challegefull undertaking. People in relationships encounter challenges that determine the ultimate direction that the relationships take. The narrator in this story confirms that people can still love each other regardless of the age. Although people may be in their seventies, they can be jealous and make irrational decisions that may impact their lives. This story also shows that people’s memories play a central role in how they make decisions. The narrator had to go back home when she was overwhelmed with loneliness. The narrator’ roles and point of view in this story revolve around aging, memories and passion. Even at 71 years of age, the narrator had love feelings for her partner who 82 years old. The narrator felt threatened by the presence of Dolly in her house leading her into driving away to Cobourg. Once in Cobourg, the memories of the town’s reputation come back to haunt her.
Work Cited
Munro, A, (2013). “Dolly.” Dear Life, Vintage pp. 233-254.