2.3 The importance of the narrator in Moon and Sixpence
In the novel Moon and Sixpence, the most active character is the narrator who appears through the whole novel. The narrator is actually the story teller and he has his own life. That is the reason why he also narrates some situations at his times. And he has his own personalities which adds unique color to the story per se. At the beginning, the narrator is a young writer who just published a book and got some fame in the writing circle. He wanted to get into the circle of the celebrities which he was not familiar with, so at most of the time he does not speak much and observe others. Gradually, he made an acquaintance with Mrs. Strickland and happened to be asked to help her as her friend. Young and passionate, the narrator dealt with both sides and out of his occupation curiosity he found Charles Strickland quite peculiar. Time flies. When the narrator gets older, he knows more about Charles and realizes his attitudes towards Charles change through all these years and there is something in Charles that he likes and dislikes to complete Charles as a great artist. On one hand, the narrator write this novel because he does not prove what is reported about Charles on the present public and he really wants to inform the public with genuine narration. On the other hand, the narrator write this novel because he is a writer and friend of the artist, thanks to which he can benefit from by narrating this unknown story.