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Difficulty: MediumAuthor's Purpose and Point of View

Read the following excerpt from the English translation of the short story 'Chac Mool' by the Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes:

'Until recently, I could not believe that a simple stone statue could disrupt the order of my daily life. I placed the Chac Mool in the basement, thinking it was merely an interesting archaeological piece. But then the water pipes ruptured, flooding the room with a persistent dampness. Soon, I noticed that the stone was softening, acquiring a texture resembling skin. Last night, I awoke to the sound of heavy, labored breathing in the dark. When I turned on the lamp, I saw it standing near my bed: the Chac Mool, now animated and covered in a moist, mossy flesh, staring at me with cold, ancient eyes. I have become a hostage in my own home, forced to fetch buckets of water from the public square to keep its thirst quenched. I no longer know where my sanity ends and this myth begins.'

Based on the passage, what is the author's primary purpose in employing a first-person narrative point of view?

  1. A
    To present an objective, factual report of the supernatural occurrences, validating the narrator's claims as absolute truth.
  2. B
    To portray the statue's perspective and explain its motivations for holding the narrator hostage.
  3. To build suspense and psychological tension by immersing the reader directly in the narrator's subjective experience of helplessness.Answer
  4. D
    To maintain a detached, scientific tone that analyzes the physical transformation of the stone into organic matter.

Answer

The correct answer is the option indicating that the first-person narrative perspective is used to build suspense and psychological tension by immersing the reader directly in the narrator's subjective experience of helplessness.
The first-person point of view ('I') forces the reader to experience the events through the narrow, subjective lens of the protagonist. This technique is used to heighten suspense, anxiety, and psychological tension as the protagonist's daily routine is slowly invaded by a supernatural force.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the narrative voice used in the passage.
The story is written from the first-person point of view ('I', 'my basement', 'my bed'), indicating a subjective and singular narrative voice.
Identifying who is speaking helps establish how information is filtered to the reader.
2
Examine how this narrative voice impacts the reader's experience of the events.
The reader experiences the supernatural transformation of the statue alongside the narrator's growing panic, isolation, and self-doubt ('I no longer know where my sanity ends').
This shows how the author limits information to the narrator's mind to build psychological suspense.
3
Evaluate the choices to find which one aligns with this effect.
The option focusing on building suspense and psychological tension through subjective immersion matches the analysis.
It correctly identifies the literary effect of first-person narration in psychological horror and magical realism.

Key Concept

Author's Point of View and Narrative Purpose
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Topics

Author's Purpose and Point of View

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