Zahra Nur Fadilah

180410140027
The Appearance of The Narrative Instance Aspects in Two Short Stories in What
We Talk about When We Talk about Love by Raymond Carver and This is What
It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie
Mel, Terri, Victor, and Thomas are represented in two times, the past and
present time. Their memories in the past becomes involved to the narration. It
affects the characters. This paper discusses several elements of the story that
influences characters perception to the future. According to Guillemette and
Lvesque (2006: 3) referring to Genette Narrative Discourse (1983) that there
is the narrative instance theory of narratology. There are two narrations are
discussed in this paper. One of four kinds of the time of narration (Guillemette
and Lvesque, 2006: 4 referring Genette (1983)) is Simultaneous narration: The
narrator tells his/her story at the very moment it occurs. (2006: 4). It can occur
both in What We Talk about When We Talk about Love and This is What It
Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona. Besides the similarities of narrating time, there
is also the difference of the kind of focalization of the two stories. By the
simultaneous narrating, two characters try to figure out their problems. The
different focalization reveals the direction of two short stories.
Two stories is told by the past and the present time. Mel McGinnis always
comes back to the past time to look for the definition about love. He is bewildered
as he finds out that love can be realized by various ways. He has thought and has
the meaning of love in his way. When he gets involved to the religious event he
has had the opinion that Mel thought real love was nothing less than spiritual
love (1981: 1). Then he seems having the change of his view on himself as he
keeps going back to the past to find out again what the love meaning is. The
simultaneous narrating makes Mel to want to get a solution of the meaning of love
by tracing back his memory amongst couples. The retelling activity of Mel also is
supported by other characters who provoke the conversation. When Mel discusses
about love, he looks like only accepting the definition of love in his way not
illogical love of Ed to Terri, as Mel conveys his opinion that "Poor Ed nothing, "
Mel said. "He was dangerous" (1981: 2). There is a change of Mels perspctive.
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From the idea of spiritual love, his view becomes logic. Spiritual seems also
illogical idea. It relates to the creator as we cannot see. Then he enters to medical
school, it can stir his perspective of love.
Although Mel has been married two times, that fact deos not deny that Mel
has not known what the meaning of love is by saying we're just beginners at
love (1981: 5). Mel still keeps asking where the love of his first wife. The love of
his first wife can be gone. The same thing also is experienced by teenage couple.
The possibility of looking for new lover can occur but there may the possibility
which makes one of the couple remain loyal to their deceased spouses. Love is
hard to guess. Mel looks for the definition of love by not separating his past
experience. He is still engaged with the past time. It affects his view about love.
To find out the meaning of love, Mel takes several examples of not only his
experience but also Terris experience, and others experience, including the old
couple. The desire of recalling his memory can be assumed that he wishes being
able to understand of love he ever experience two times.
Mel seems afraid of getting hurt. He has got hurt by his first wife. That
thing makes Mel go back to his dream of wearing armor. The desire of wearing
armor can make Mel strong as he says that (...) they couldnt get hurt very easy
(1981: 7).
The narrator emerges the past memories to the story. The narrator always
reminds about the past event. Although Victor says that Thomas has not been his
friend any more, they have bond each other. The past time draws out them. The
simultaneous narration also reveals the identity about Thomas and Victor.
According to the site teachercertification.org that
Native American oral storytelling traditions allowed tribes to transmit
their mythological, spiritual and historical understandings of themselves
(2017).
Thomas is described as the tradiosional person. He cannot separate himself with
nature. His soul emerges himself to recalls his past memories, relating his
memories with his experience together with Victor. When most people around
Thomas have had to the modern view, Thomas still remains in the traditional
culture. His sense relating with nature is involved to the story which he tells to
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Victor. Simultaneous narration is brought by the narrator which is the omniscient

narrator or called zero focalization. That narration emerges their childhood.
Thomas seems caring towards his friend that is, Victor. The simultaneous
narration appears the story every stage of their childhood. How Thomas gets close
to Victor and Victors family, particularly, Victors father. The narration proves
that Thomas is close with Victors father. It describes that Thomas can feel the
sorrowful feeling of people around him. The statement of Thomas says that Your
fathers heart is weak. He is afraid of his own family. (1994: 12) portrays that
Thomas can see the weakness of Victors father towards the family. Thomas
sense is not only for being able feeling the atmosphere from nature. Thomas
sense can also feel the humans sense. The narration also tells the story about the
past from Thomas and Victor has been together until they get quarrel because of
Victors behaviour. It points out that they have ever been together then it must be
possible for them to be together again as like in the past. It also tells the ideology
or the perspective of Thomas about Indian people relating the independence. That
stories of the past show how they get the quarrel. Then as if it depicts that
traditional view can be defeated by modern view. Traditional view is more ancient
thus Victor has not wanted anymore listening to Thomas story although finally
Thomas asks Victor just once to listen to Thomas story. Thomas story also
contains the desire of being a warrior. As if it describes that they are as Indian
people who want to be strong as their race is more marginalized.
The narration traces back the memory in the past. The story has not yet
removed the reminiscence in the past. The part of Victors memories is become
the consideration of taking Thomas to Phoenix. The story always looks back to
the past when American natives have existed. The story is delivered by retaining
the traditional culture of American natives as if it does not want to face the fact
that there is lack of natives of America.
Besides the past time, the present time when Victor is in the airplane, he
regrets that he cannot talk with other people. The present time make Victor realize
that it is good to talk to other people in one time.
The appearance of the different focalization is between the narrator of
What We Talk about When We Talk about Love that is Nick and the narrator of
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This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona that is the omniscient narrator.
Nick as the narrator is called
External focalization: The narrator knows less than the characters. He acts a
bit like a camera lens, following the protagonists' actions (...) (Guillemette and
Lvesque, 2006: 4 referring to Genettes theory, Narratology).

Several features of external focalization are narrators role becomes a camera lens,
he cannot suppose the deep characteristic of the character which presents in the
story, and his perception is limited by his seeing. Therefore, he can only describe
what he sees. It is different with the narrator of This is What It Means to Say
Phoenix, Arizona who is called
Zero focalization: The narrator knows more than the characters. He may know
the facts about all of the protagonists, as well as their thoughts and gestures. This
is the traditional "omniscient narrator" (Guillemette and Lvesque, 2006: 4
referring to Genettes theory, Narratology).

Nick positions himself to be the camera lens. He can only convey the
events and features of characters which are seen. Nick tells the story by describing
the job of the character. Mel who has been a religious person, as he believes in
spiritual love, changes his individual to a cardiologist. Being a cardiologist seems
changing his perspective to a logical person. He directs the story based what he
sees from daylight in the kitchen to night day. There is the dominant part of Mels
talking. It can be the interruption of the talking of narrator that is Nick. Nick also
describes every character in the story and their age. Their character and age
portrays that he wants the explanation of love very clearly as Nick states in the
sentence When he was sober, his gestures, all his movements, were precise, very
careful (1981: 2). It can explain the whole the curiousity Mels perspective of
love. Based on Mels question of past love of his first wife, he seems curious
wheter his past love of his wife is only the reminiscence. Nick, as the narrator,
always makes the time back to the present. In contrast, Mel makes the time back
to the past. Nick comes back to the reality and Mel drowns himself to his
reminiscence.
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The narrator of the story This is What It Means To Say Phoenix,

Arizona organize the time between the past and the present. The narrator, as the
omniscient narrator, reveals about the fact of the childhood of Victor and Thomas.
It is same with Mel, Victor changes his view of traditional to modern view so does
with Mel. He changes his belief from spiritual love. The narrator always reminds
the past event of Victor and Thomas. The narration of the narrator as if makes
Victor to decide bringing Thomas to Phoenix. It means Victor does not hate
Thomas at all. The narration of the narrator as if portrays the thought of Victor.
Victors memories of his childhood with Thomas. Victors childhood becomes the
consideration of his decision being together again with Thomas. Their past
memories emerge their dream being warrior. In contrast with Mel being afraid of
facing love, Victor and Thomas are afraid of their Indian race more losing as the
time develops. The statement of Victors father which says that Take care of
each other (1994: 16). It symbolizes that they have to be together forever and do
not be separated.
The narrative instance decide the setting of time where the story happen.
The Simultaneous narration emerges the past memories and bring back the setting
to the reality. The two narrator control the setting of time and place. Although
Nick seems lack of authority of controlling the way of the story. Mel always
brings the three character to the past and the narrator, Nick, can only be the
camera lens. Nick only follows the way of the story which Mel dominate the
content of the story. The simultaneous narration which is controlled by the
omniscient narrator depicts the friendship between Thomas and Victor. It
describes how Thomas maintains his traditional character which makes Victor
stay away himself towards Thomas. It also describes the Indian character cannot
be accepted by Victor anymore who decides to the modern view. The time of
narration seems not being able solving the problem of Mel. It also affects to Mel
that he cannot find the meaning of love when he is still involved with the past.
Thus, the aspect of the time of narration can affect Victor and Thomas.
That aspect seems being able to make them together but the modern view and
traditional view cannot be adhered. They live in their perspectives. Those aspect
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of time and the focalization show the characters of the two stories who can live
side by side although they have different perspectives.

References
Alexie, Sherman. (1994) This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona. Esquire
Magazine
Carver, Raymond. (1981) What We Talk about When We Talk about Love.
http://www.pageout.net/user/www/m/j/mjknndy/WhatWeTalk%20about%
20When%20We%20Talk%20about%20Love.htm (18 Feb 2014)
Genette, G., & Lewin, J. E. (1983). Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method:
Cornell University Press.
Lucie Guillemette and Cynthia Lvesque (2006), Narratologmy , in Louis
Hbert (dir.), Signo [online], Rimouski (Quebec),
http://www.signosemio.com/genette/narratology.asp
Storytelling Traditions of Native Americans
http://www.teachercertification.org/generalteaching/storytelling-traditions-
of-native-americans.html (13 Mei 2017)