The narrator has found Reva relentlessly dull in her thoughts and inner life, whereas now she is witnessed as a three-dimensional person: someone with a soul, a spirit of her own. Her brand new observations come through most vividly when she meets Reva for the final time. Against all odds – certainly my ideas of what her experiment would mean – sleeping seems to have subtly cured her. You can hardly believe this cleansed vessel was the former woman who had just hunted through her bulimic friend’s apartment, saying aloud that she hated her more than ever. The tone is clear, empty, matter-of-fact, as if she’s in a fresh daze. HE: She has lost so much of her hardness. I wish more people in real life were as knowing and forthcoming with their inherited wealth!Ĭ) How does the tone change when the narrator has woken up? Has she changed?

She’s very aware that her trauma would be magnified and lead to endless suffering had she been born working class or poor. Hannah Ewens: I loved this little line – she recognises her privilege as her detractors or a reader might. On the other hand, her privilege is essential for our suspension of disbelief, since no ordinary person would have the ability to just opt out of society in the way the narrator does. The narrator’s privilege in terms of wealth and beauty throws into sharper relief the things she is missing and has missed out on in life, such as nurturing parents and the ability to relate to other people. Her isolation and disaffection with the outside world seem quite in-keeping with the concept of affluenza. It’s quite clear that she takes the trappings of luxury for granted. In response, she says, “I was born into privilege, I’m not going to squander that I’m not a moron.” How does the novel present the privilege of its narrator?Įleri: The narrator’s privilege is presented in quite a matter-of-fact way. B) Ping Xi wants the narrator to burn her identity documents on camera.

My years of rest and relaxation