Reflections on Truth-Telling:
I
think in the parts of the book where the author was writing his teenage
experiences with alcohol and drugs might have been partially exaggerated or
false, because of how those certain chemicals mess up people’s memories. I think they might have exaggerated
because rather than leave large blank gaps where he was drunk or high, McBride
wrote what he thought and/or what would have most likely have happened. The advantages of making up these moments are
that there aren’t any gaps in the story line, I think the disadvantages are
that there might have been crucial events that he didn’t write about because he
wasn’t sure if it actually happened or if he didn’t fully remember it. I also think he might have altered he mother’s
point of view, because in the story when it switches between him and his
mother, I didn’t detect much of a change in writing. If the author re-wrote his mother’s point of
view, he might have changed something else and we, the readers, might have
missed something that he didn’t re-write.
He might have done this because when he wrote his mother’s perspective
it probably didn’t sound right or might have not made sense. I don’t think this type of writing works with
everyone else’s writing types because some people might not be able to “fix”,
or to make it make sense. I probably wouldn’t be able to pull it off because
that’s not how I write, and because I’m not as skilled as these real writers.
I think you are right to say that most memoir writers exaggerate rather than leave blank spaces. It helps them draw in the reader and makes the reader more likely to stick with the story because it is actually interesting to all the people who open the book. People want an exciting and engaging book so I believe that most people would elaborate rather than just being boring and truthful.
ReplyDeleteVery perceptive analysis of point of view, especially about the problematic nature of trying to imagine someone else's experience from the limited viewpoint of our own.
ReplyDelete