Introduction to “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”
This extract under analysis through narratological lens of Meike Bal has been taken from the chapter ten “Bunty in the Light of a Hero” of the novel, Seven Little Australians, by Ethel Turner. When the theoretical terms enunciated by Bal in her book are applied to this extract of two pages, it demonstrates that stories are “structured whole composed of signs” (Bal, p. 6) which show different shades, perspectives, interpretations and aspects to different audiences and readers. If this extract is analyzed in the light of these views through narratological strategies, it shows the complexity of fabula elements of events, actors, time location as well as of description, dialogue and perspectives using the narrator and focalizer.
“Bunty in the Light of a Hero” as a Fabula
If this extract “Bunty in the Light of a Hero” is taken as a complete fabula with event/s given, it shows a logical and chronological order (Bal, p. 6). The third person omniscient narrator shows the character of Bunty and Judy in the loft. Bunty is already hiding there when Judy arrives playing truant from school. Both agents (Bal, p. 6) perform this action of the event that takes place in the location of the “loft” as stated by the third person narrator or external narrator. As the duration of the act and its exact timing is not given, the third person narrator has shown that as they are in the loft, it is probably day light, and there is some darkness in the loft. The second actor, Judy, tells the other character, Bunty, that it is the “loft” (Turner, p. 64-65) where they are meeting, and that she will stay there “for a time” (Turner, p. 64) which is not specified. Therefore, the location is clearly stated that it is the loft at home that is beyond other rooms where both the characters are hiding. It also shows that both are children and are using this location to hide themselves from the authority of the elders.. Other locations such as Lawson, Springwood and Katoomba are just for reference but they show that the characters are far away from these locations in this loft. Judy is asking the other character, Bunty, that she has run away from school that is located at a great distance. It also points to this location that is the “loft” (Turner, p. 64-65) and that it is in the building of the house.
Events in “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”
As the events happen at this place in “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”, the first event is the hiding of Bunty in the loft and his thinking about other animate objects, second is the arrival of Judy, third involves their conversation and the fourth departure of Bunty to bring something to eat for Judy. Other than these two, there are some characters who are absent from the events but are present through the impact they have had on both children. The first impact is invisible as is clear from the sound that Bunty makes after terrified of something like rat and second is the clear names that he shrieks out such as “Meg – oh! Father—Esther” (Turner, p. 64), There is another character that Judy refers to which is of Miss Burtons, who seems to be a teacher. It appears that Miss Burtons will come to know about her whereabouts when she is back to school. Whereas Bunty is somewhat naughty and playing hide and seek though terrified at this place, Judy, too, seems not much less, for she has stated that she has played truant from school and has asked Bunty to bring for her sometime to eat. Therefore, both the characters are distinct and individualized.
Description in “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”
As far as the description of the text of “Bunty in the Light of a Hero” is concerned, it has been applied by the external third person narrator as pointed out with “He.” It is his perspective about the characters that the readers would have. He makes the characters to show the naughty, clever, terrifying or fearful side of their individualities, and it is he who describes their traits with specific images. He states about Bunty when opening the text “He fancied…” (Turner, p. 63) which is an exact wording for a naughty boy and also states the location of the place as “second loft” (Turner, p. 65) and where it is located. This external narrator also makes the boy to say “Shoo” (Turner, p. 64) by which the narrator means the readers to understand that the boy is fearful of something, and then makes the boy think that it is “rat” (Turner, p. 64) where the objective is clear that it is intended to show to the reader. The argument here is to show how two naughty and clever children can plan to move away from the adult and authoritative world to hide their activities.
Narrator in “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”
Whereas the narrator and the focalizer are in “Bunty in the Light of a Hero” concerned, they, too, have played an important role. The text uses the narrator and focalizer both at the same time as the third person narrator is also the focalizer. The main task of the narrator here in this passage is to describe and show how actors act and move the act forward (Bal, p. 167). However, the focalizer, though, he is the same makes the readers think about the specific vision that he wants to show (Bal, p. 167) which is that children often play truant and that the readers should understand the specific perspective of the children. As both the perspectives are interspersed with dialogues, it becomes clear that focalizer and narrator shift the text to dialogue when it becomes necessary to show the action of the agents/characters. They are involved again when they want to show the specific perspectives and aspects of the situation of Judy and Bunty to the readers. This constant shift moves the text from one event to another, building logic and chronology in the text to make it credible. In this way, the narrator /focalizer build characters by first giving a vision to the readers what the specific character such as Judy or Bunty is going to appear, and then announcing through the dialogue of the character how he is going to act, and how it is going to impact the act or the event. For example, third person narrator / focalizer here announces constantly within the text how Judy arrives and how she surprises Bunty when he is hiding in the loft as when she puts her hand “over his mouth” (Turner, p. 64). The narrator could have stated that she has put her hand on her shoulders, but the focalizer wants to build readers’ vision that it is a moment of surprise and that Bunty could shriek out loud in that case.
Conclusion
By using description and then dialogue of “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”, the third person narrator builds the characters and then events and moves them forward chronologically to build a vision through focalization that the readers see clever and naughty children of a household hiding in a loft where they think that they can hoodwink the world of adults. This also gives a very good clue to the readers that they must expect something hard for these naughty boy and girl who are hiding in the loft. The final description by the narrator the emotions of Bunty which are foreshadowing that he would go to bring something to eat. This foreshadowing by the readers is the impact of the gradual progression of the events.
Bibliography
- Turner, E., 2005. Seven Little Australians. National Library Australia.
- Bal, M., 2009. Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative. University of Toronto Press.
Relevant Questions about “Bunty in the Light of a Hero”: Narratological Analysis
- How does the narrative perspective and focalization in the story “Bunty in the Light of a Hero” affect our understanding of the characters and events? How does the choice of a first-person narrator influence the reader’s perception of Bunty and her actions?
- Explore the use of narrative structure and time in the story. How does the author employ flashbacks and shifts in chronology to reveal Bunty’s character development and the underlying themes of the narrative? What effect does this temporal manipulation have on the reader’s engagement with the story?
- Analyze the role of narrative voice in conveying Bunty’s emotional and psychological experiences. How does the narrator’s tone and language contribute to our understanding of Bunty’s internal struggles and her transformation over the course of the story?