I read Pagan Night and decided to look for textual signals and determine how the ideal reader would read the story. Almost from the beginning, it is apparent that Sunny is the character that will be the main focus of the story. She isn't the narrator, but we do have access to some of her thoughts, and the author definitely has a bias toward her. Sunny's name isn't given until the end of the first page, but the fact that the narrator introduces her as "she" tells the reader that she is going to be the character referenced and talked about the most. The reader is most familiar with Sunny, so the ideal reader would sympathize with her rather than with Dalton.
Dalton's name is introduced first, but in a very negative light. The narrator explains that he is the reason they had to leave San Francisco, and that he never wanted the baby. The author also uses words such as "claimed" and "insisted" when explaining the musical equipment, which implies that it wasn't actually Dalton's, and was probably stolen. They both do drugs and don't want the baby, but for some reason the author wants the reader to sympathize with Sunny.
Later on in the story, Sunny realizes that Dalton will leave her if she can't get the baby to stop crying. This tells the reader that Dalton is really the one who doesn't like the baby, and Sunny just goes along with whatever he says or does because she doesn't want to be alone. This suggests that her poor actions and decisions may be a product of this control Dalton seems to have over her.
The names sort of guide the ideal reader as well. Sunny is a very happy and positive name, and although the character isn't either of those things, the reader will still feel a sense of hope for this character. The fact that the baby doesn't have a name seems to tell the reader that he isn't an important character, but Sunny gives him many different names throughout the book. She would name him if she could, which shows that she feels connected to the baby, but Dalton won't let her. This further tells the ideal reader that Dalton's feelings about the baby overshadow Sunny's.
Cherisse,
ReplyDeleteYou write, "Dalton's name is introduced first, but in a very negative light. The narrator explains that he is the reason they had to leave San Francisco, and that he never wanted the baby." You're doing a good job closely observing how various elements are presented and how these affect readers' opinions (whether these readers recognize this process or not).