The Unreliable Narrator Definition
Simply put, an unreliable narrator is a character in a story who is untrustworthy when it comes to telling the story. Usually, these characters are first-person narrators!
But the author is clever in the sense that they provide their unreliable narrator with a deceptive characteristic that is deliberate. Their main goal is to mislead you, forcing you to question the degree of the narrator’s unreliability!
Also, having an unreliable narrator does not mean that you need to disregard everything they say. After all, they are meant to be convincing! The degree of truth that they tell will be highly dependent on the author’s vision for that character and the type of unreliable narrator they are.
What Is the Difference Between a Reliable and an Unreliable Narrator?
Simply put, a reliable narrator is one that you can trust in absolutely everything they say. If they say someone was murdered by “X,” then you can rest assured that “X” did the deed!
Contrastingly, with an unreliable narrator, as we mentioned above, you need to question every word they say. If they say that “X” was the murderer, you need to look for flaws in their logic. They cannot be trusted!
The Four Types of Unreliable Narrators
Unreliable narration is an art form on its own. Being able to convincingly allow the reader to question the actions of a character and draw their own conclusions is the essence of this literary technique.
The main goal of using unreliable narration as a literary device is to fuel a character’s unreliability, all while causing you to question the credibility of their storytelling.
But to what extent does this occur? That is based on their assigned characteristics within the following four types of unreliable narrators.
1. The Picaro
A picaro is a type of unreliable narrator that loves to exaggerate their positioning in life (and in the story)! A famous example of how a picaro is used is in the novel Moll Flanders.
Moll Flanders, the main protagonist, was born in prison and decided to tell a few exaggerated lies regarding her social standing.
What was her end goal? Well, it was to ensure that wealthy men would want to marry her. What better way to inherit their fortune? That being said, one can usually pick up on a picaro through their narrative voice.
2. The Madman
Yes, this is exactly what they are! A narrator in this category has a mental detachment from reality. Naturally, a narrator like this will make sure their narrative audience knows this! Let’s look at one of the best unreliable narrator examples known to the modern world of literature!
American Psycho is a novel written by the infamous Bret Easton Ellis. In this novel, a curious incident occurs. The reader’s expectations are created when Patrick Bateman, who dubbed himself a serial killer, says that he has gone on a killing spree!
Now we expect this to have happened as is, right? Well, the story turns out when one of his so-called victims is found to be alive and well. Is it coincidental, or is everything a lie? We’ll let you decide.
3. The Naif
What an odd name for an unreliable narrator, right? Right! But with this odd name comes an odd class of characters. A naif is typically seen as a character who, due to inexperience or age, is unable to communicate the full weight of the narrative.
Let’s think of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a book written by Mark Haddon. With the death of the main character’s mother and the supposed murder of his neighbor’s dog, can we really trust what 15-year-old Christopher is telling us?
Not to mention, a narrator in this category could have mental health issues that make you question the narrator’s ability to tell the story. In this case, from a first-person point of view, Christopher has Asperger’s syndrome.
Can we really trust his sequence of events when we don’t even know if he has a rigid understanding of the world that surrounds him?
Whether it be youthful ignorance or a blatant disregard for telling the full set of events, these unreliable narrators are never to be trusted!
4. The Liar
Many writers decide to include one or more liars in their stories. Not only are they deliberately placed throughout the story’s plot, but as soon as the reader discovers their true intentions, every time they pop up, it leaves you thinking, Well, here we go again!
What becomes even more confusing is when a liar is the main character and uses other characters to fabricate a story and present themselves in such a way as not to be caught in their twisted web of lies. In this case, especially in fiction novels, the true intentions of the liar are only revealed near the end of the book.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the perfect example of a case where a seemingly reliable narrator fools every reader near the end of the book! Dr. James Sheppard is tasked with helping Poirot find out who committed the murder.
Because of his status within the community, who would suspect a doctor, right? Wrong! Dr. Sheppard was the one who committed the murder!
As a literary device, the unreliable narrator can be kept in the dark throughout the entirety of the book. But where the true plot twists come into play, there are two unreliable narrators that are working together.
Imagine the drama when they betray each other. We’d read that type of writing any day!
A Few More Unreliable Narrator Examples
Looking back at the movies we have seen and the books we have read, we should be able to pick out all of the unreliable narrators.
For example, in Gone Girl, it comes as a major surprise when there is a narrative shift, and Amy Dunne continues with the narration. After all, the audience believed that she was dead. But that was the work of the unreliable narrator, Nick, who was conveniently her husband.
In Rebecca, it is the subjective retelling that makes the narrator unreliable. This novel follows Mrs. de Winter as she talks about the first Mrs. de Winter and how her death was an absolute mystery. But readers of this novel will know that, near the end, credibility became a myth, and the occurrence of specific events told a tragic tale.
From the first page of Fight Club, we suspected that Tyler Durden was not just the narrator’s friend. As one of the best examples of unreliable narrators in literature, when we realize that Durden is the narrator, self-preservation goes out the window, and we are left trying to figure out which alter ego Palahniuk pits against him.
The history of using an unreliable narrator is not just used in British fiction, as many literature enthusiasts like to point out. It goes as far back as before the 1800s! The Tell Tale Heart, written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843; Wuthering Heights, written in 1847; and Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, all used several examples of different unreliable narrators throughout their stories.
Now think about Nick in The Great Gatsby. Would you say that he was a narrator who wanted to deliberately deceive the reader? Or do you think it was his own personal opinions that made the reader not want to trust him from the beginning?
In Summary
A narrator is never purely good or purely evil. At times, a narrator may be so unreliable that the reader starts to detest what is coming next in the story.
But a narrator’s job is exactly that: to narrate. The manner in which they do this will dictate the type of story that is bound to unfold.
Luckily, you now have the tools to create the perfect unreliable narrator for your next story. But if you find yourself struggling with how to present your narrator in the story, get a hold of us at The Urban Writers!
We have the best freelancers who will ensure your book has the perfect reliable versus unreliable narrator balance! Why wait? Get in touch with us today!
