“Chronological order is the most convincing way to convey a story or an idea. ” Comparing two or three of the works you have studied, agree or disagree with this statement. (November 2005) Chronological order is one of the many ways adopted by authors to write and in some aspects, it can be said that it is the most convincing in conveying a story. Convincing in this sense would refer to how easily the readers are able to understand and comprehend the story, with the way the story is written and subsequently able to relate to the story and its characters.I will be exploring two works that I have studied namely, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle. In Siddhartha, it is apparent that the chronological order is indeed the most convincing way to convey the story mainly due to the fact that the story follows Siddhartha’s journey in seeking enlightenment and allows for the development of the protagonist to be made apparent to the leaders.
However, in Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, a chronological order would not be as effective in conveying the story mainly due to the author’s intentions and the characterization of Paddy and this is evident, especially given the non-chronological and non-linear narration of the story. In Siddhartha, the portrayal of the protagonist’s journey as well as his growth is proven to be most effective with the adoption of a narration that follows a chronological order. It can also be said that Siddhartha has a linear narrative structure.Siddhartha follows the journey of the protagonist, Siddhartha, in seeking for enlightenment. The chronological order allows the readers to follow the journey as well as the progression of Siddhartha and his growth throughout the novella, where he starts of being a Brahmin all the way to the end, where he finally attains Nirvana and completes his quest of enlightenment. A chronological order provides the readers with a straightforward portrayal of the story and therefore contributes to the readers’ understanding of the story’s progression as well as Siddhartha’s growth.
This is evident from the different stages that Siddhartha had to go through in order to attain enlightenment at the end of the novella. From leaving his roots as a Brahmin to learning the ways of a Samana to meeting Gautama to embarking on his solo journey in order to start on his experiential learning to enable him to attain enlightenment. Throughout the journey, Siddhartha finally develops a new perspective of viewing the world and this is followed closely and efficiently by the readers due to the chronological order provided by the narration of the story.This allows for the development of the character to be seen as the readers see Siddhartha grow into one who is patient and one who has finally escaped from the tormenting Self. The characterization of Siddhartha is therefore further enhanced by the chronological order of the story as it allows for the development of the character to be followed closely and clearly.
On top of that, Siddhartha, is meant to be a bildungsroman, a novel that centers on the development and maturation of the main character and this is made much more possible with the linear narration of the novella.Hence, the chronological order provides a clear understanding of the character of the protagonist and allows readers to follow the journey he experiences closely thus enabling them to understand the story and empathize with the protagonist when required and is therefore a convincing way to convey Siddhartha. A chronological order is also convincing in conveying Siddhartha due to its effect on the exploration of the novella’s key themes: quest for enlightenment. The chronological order follows Siddhartha’s journey and therefore his quest in seeking Nirvana, in order to achieve a harmonious relationship with the world.
The quest on its own is a key theme that drives the plot forward as it is the sole purpose of the story. The quest is embarked upon by Siddhartha and through his experiential learning that is highlighted by the linear narration of the novella, also a third person narration, this theme is able to be explored. The theme has to follow a chronological order due to the very being of a quest in which a step by step process is required, where there are stages after another that are required to be overcome.It shows to the readers how readily and able Siddhartha is in adapting accordingly in order to successfully achieve his ultimate desire – attaining enlightenment. As an example, once Siddhartha realizes that fasting as a Samana only provided temporary relief or temporary attainment of what he was truly looking for, he was willing to leave them and seek for answers elsewhere, in this case in Gautama and subsequently in himself.
The chronological order therefore highlights how Siddhartha does not relent in his quest despite the different obstacles he faces and this also shows Siddhartha’s determination.Siddhartha is therefore able to find truth through his experiential learning, which is followed closely and effectively via the chronological order of the novella. Hence, a chronological order is convincing in conveying Siddhartha as it allows for the exploration of the key theme, which focuses mainly on Siddhartha’s journey in achieving Nirvana. A key motif – the concept of Om – is also explored and developed in Siddhartha and this is made possible via the chronological order narration.The concept of Om signifies oneness and unity of all things, and this concept of Om marks key moments of awakening for Siddhartha, thus contributing to the development of the character.
The linear narration provides for the comparison between the lives Siddhartha had before and after he was able to comprehend what Om meant and that it was required in order for him to achieve enlightenment. This therefore brings to the readers’ attention the importance of Om and subsequently the river, since he was able to comprehend the word in its entirety by listening to the river.This motif is most importantly brought out when he hears Om when he stands near the river, contemplating suicide. The linear narration allows the readers to view the situation in its entirety, thus the readers are able to understand where Siddhartha was coming from but at the same time understand the gradual apparent importance of Om in the novel and how essential it was for Siddhartha to embrace and understand it in order for him to achieve Nirvana.At the end of it all, it can be seen that the more he listens to the river, the more aware he becomes of the complexity of Om and how it involves the physical and spiritual world as well as time. The final aspect of Om is best explored and portrayed via the chronological order.
Hence, the key motif of the novella, the concept of Om, is best portrayed and therefore understood by the readers via the chronological order narration of the novella, especially given the very essential of the concept where time is essential in understanding how Om worked.While it has been explored how the chronological order or linear narration helped in conveying the story of Siddhartha, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha had not been written in a chronological order and yet the story is effectively told. The non-linear narration in Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha contributes greatly to the characterization of the protagonist, Paddy Clarke, who is merely a child. The lack of chronological order adopted in the narration of the story, which is told from Paddy’s perspective, shows Paddy’s train of thought. This therefore makes the story much more realistic as a child’s train of thought is never just in a hronological order.
The readers are hence able to share the heartfelt emotions of Paddy and see his reactions to his feelings and to other people’s attittudes. More often than not, their train of thought jumps around with what they deem as relevant or what they can most relate to. He jumps from one subject to another with no logical synthesis, reflecting the thought process of the protagonist. The lack of chronological order therefore helps in the characterization of Paddy who is merely a child and is no different from children his age.
Readers are therefore able to empathize and understand the predicament that he is in, especially given the fact that he has to constantly witness his parents fighting. His characterization as merely a child is further enhanced by the presence of gaps in narration where in some cases; he narrates a story, which is completely unrelated to the one he was narrating before. These gaps in narration and the way Paddy’s train of thought is being portrayed also allows for different interpretations of the situation on the readers’ part.Due to the fact that he is merely a child, the lack of chronological order may sometimes make it unclear as to what is truly happening, especially since it is being told from Paddy’s perspective who may not fully understand what was happening. Doyle captures the speech patterns and weird logic of childhood very brilliantly.
The non-linear narration also highlights Paddy’s strong character, as he has to cope with emotional turmoil, having to grow up through a marriage break-up and therefore had very little parental guidance and this is evident from the confusing narration that Paddy provides, especially when his parents were fighting.Therefore, chronological order would not be the most convincing way to convey Paddy Clarke due to the very fact that it is told from a child’s perspective and would therefore make it unrealistic and with the non-linear narration, Doyle is able to successfully characterize the protagonist, allowing for the readers to empathize and relate to him. The lack of chronological order in Paddy Clarke also allows for the author’s intention for writing the novel to be achieved.Doyle wrote the novel with the intention of social documentation of Ireland in 1968 and how Ireland was like. The setting is reflective of the charismatic Irish wit as well as the development of Ireland industrially, with the corporation houses built.
This development as well as the development of the main protagonist is not followed as closely as when compared to Siddhartha due to the non-chronological order that is adopted in the novel. This therefore makes it much more fascinating and requires the readers’ full attention when reading.There are subtle differences but differences that matter as when talking about the development in Barrytown as well as the people in them. Doyle highlights how children and even adults, in this case Paddys’ father, trivialize religion. This is shown from the constant reference to religion by Paddy and occurs repetitively throughout the novel, despite the lack of chronological order.
This therefore shows that depite the passing of time, the perspectives on religion remained the same. Therefore, the non-linear narration brings out the author’s intention in writing the novel.However, having said all of the above, it would be much more less confusing for the readers had the novel, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, been told in a chronological order. Though it allows for the characterization of Paddy, it also allows for free interpretation of many of the situations narrated by Paddy. Hence, readers are free to interpret the story however they want to, and this is given the non-linear narration of the story, since there seems to be no straight way of looking at things.More often than not, Paddy also does not provide the full details of the situation as he merely narrates what he understands and this therefore allows readers to interpret it accordingly, making the story quite confusing to follow.
Given the fact that the lack of chronological order is representative of the thought process of a child, many readers may not be able to relate as effectively as Doyle had wanted to especially given the often jumping around when narrating stories.Therefore, the lack of chronological order makes the entire story much more confusing for the readers who may not understand the story to the best of its effect and hence may not be the most convincing way to convey the story. In conclusion, in Siddhartha, the chronological order is evidently the most convincing way to convey the story since it follows the journey of the main protagonist in seeking enlightenment thus the linear narration would allow for the progression and development of the character, which is the main point of the novella, to be seen and followed closely.However, for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, a chronological order would not be as effective in conveying the story largely due to the fact that the narration is done by a child and is therefore only realistic that there are gaps in narration and that the telling of the stories jump from one to the other and this therefore allows readers to view things from a child’s perspective, enabling them to see where Doyle was intending for them to see.
