Matilda's Innocent Narrative Voice In Mister Pip

One of the ways in which the author, holds our attention in the novel Mister Pip, is through the use of Matilda’s innocent narrative voice. Matilda’s traumatising experiences in the beauty of her remote village on the island of Bougainville, shape her character and decisions as she grows. Her telling of her story captures and holds the attention of the reader throughout the novel. Matilda is a narrator who is inside the text. She is a character in the novel and speaks to the reader directly. Matilda’s honestly proves that she is a very reliable narrator. Despite Matilda’s naivety we trust her assessment of the situations around her. Matilda’s tone emphasises the effect of war on her and her community.

Matilda is a young girl who narrates her experiences which speak and connect with the reader directly. The first person narrative is the sincere voice of Matilda who is an eye witness to horrific events. Events that she witnesses are captured in the simplicity of her sentences and descriptions. This use of syntax is influenced by Matilda’s age. In her description of Pop eye, she uses short simple sentences to accurately capture what she sees. “Some days he wore a clown's nose. His nose was already big.” (p. 1) “His large eyes in his large head stuck out further than anyone else’s… “ (p. 1).

Thus, making Matilda a honest storyteller. From this early point in the novel, we trust in her descriptions of other characters and assessment of the situations around her. Despite Matilda’s natively, she can see the damage done to the island by war and the mines which are expressed through Matilda’s thoughts in the novel. “We knew about the river pollution, and the terrible effect of the copper tailings after heavy rain. “ (p.43) “The redskins’ visit affected us in different ways. Some of us were seen hiding food in the jungle. Others made escape plans.”