How to Create a Reliable Narration - The Charm Buyers

The Charm Buyers Response
Melody

Our narrator, Marc, has his believable attributes.  Through his descriptions of people and events, we figure out who he likes and who he doesn't. He likes Radish, A-tai, Marie-Laurie, and Aurore. He doesn't like Cecile, and the feeling is mutual.  Marc doesn't play social games, and so we appreciate his honesty in this regard.

Initially, when he discusses magic, he does so from a safe distance.  As if the charms and Monsieur Li's activities are just a cultural, historical relic that still exist on the island. So we see these details from a quaint, anthropological perspective. DeKoning is simply a foreigner who wants to believe in something magical.  But then, through other characters' dialogue, we see that Marc is actually quite superstitious, even though he won't admit this to anyone. His reliability is called into question because his words contradict his actions. 

When he sells his soul in exchange for Marie-Laurie's health, the magic becomes real for me. Just as the Chinese herbalist predicted, he loses everything. I am captivated by the author's spell, and I believe that the supernatural has a place in this world.  All the little details about charms and A-tai now make sense.  

However, the change in Marc's character does not seem as reliable. Although Marc initially is quite upset, he soon seems to make peace with his new life as a chicken-egg-trader. I can't quite understand why -- this doesn't seem believable from his character.  He's not just a boring, passive country bumpkin -- he's attractive, wealthy, having an affair with an older woman, and getting his kicks by working as a smuggler.  Then again, I realize that I don't really KNOW his character. His emotions and inner thoughts are as obscured from me as they are from those who are close to him (such as Aurore).  

In some ways, the author has created a reliable narration in terms of magical realism and describing the cultural-political aspects of Tahiti. But in terms of Marc's character development, and his dramas with MuSan and Aurore, I don't quite buy it. 

Comments

  1. Anna EriceSeptember 26, 2017 at 10:09 AM

    Melody,
    Did you read The Charm Buyers as firm magical realism then? I was very split on the narrative based on Marc's narrative waffling. I wasn't sure if we were meant to read that the charm was actually what improved Marie Laure's health or if she was going to get better anyway due to medical science. I was leaning towards it being a realistic novel and there not being any magic present in the novel, because Marc is always saying how he doesn't believe in magic and then the one time he is desperate enough to try it is the only time we hear of magic being present, but what occurs is not reliant on magic. Marie Laure could have easily gotten better on her own. That's why I agree with you about Marc's character and the lack of reliable narration, because Marc believes that this story has become magical realism, which goes against the character he had built for himself up until that point in the story.
    Thanks,
    Anna

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    1. MelodySeptember 26, 2017 at 5:58 PM

      Yes, I believed (at least until the very end), that magic was really happening. He placed the charm, Marie got better, and Marc's life was destroyed. Maybe the only reason she didn't get totally better was because she didn't actually drink the bead (because she couldn't). At the end, we realize that Marie still had the bead, thus she never ingested it, thus everything that happened was because of reality and not magic.... Yet, I still prefer to believe the magical realism version of the story. And I wonder if Marc does, too. Even though he SAYS he doesn't believe in charms, he is superstitious. He won't tell De Koning and Aurore about magic, because he is worried what will happen if he does. Etc. I think he still believes in the old ways, even though he tells others he does not, because of his actions.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2017 at 4:24 PM

    I like what you have to say about not believing his character would be happy with living anywhere in Huahine. I agree with that. I don't know how convinced I am that he settled for a life there. Maybe a part of his being able to settle was thinking that this was a part of the drawback of the charm he used to save Marie-Laure's life. Although still, Marc's thoughts didn't always align with his actions.

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