The Child/Ghost Narrator in How I Became A Ghost

Category A, Prompt C

One of the most prominent literary devices in How I Became A Ghost is the narrator of the novel. The book is written from the perspective of a ten year-old boy who spends the first half of the novel expecting his death and the second half narrating from the dead. At first glance, the voice of the narrator seemed strange, fantastical, and well-suited for a young audience in my opinion. I found myself challenged to try and analyze something written for 8-12 year-olds, and I struggled to find meaning in the text. However, as I continued to read, I are to appreciate the voice of Isaac, the narrator. While he was quite young and naive in many ways, I think that his voice was an excellent choice to portray life on the Trail of Tears. Child narrators are some of the most honest, observant, and straightforward narrators there are. Their innocence combined with a hunger for knowledge and maturity boils the story down to its purest elements. On top of the innocence of young Isaac as a narrator is his narration from the ghost world. His existence as a ghost gives him perspective outside his own situation and an ability to see past people's facades.

Throughout the novel, Isaac is honest about what he sees and feels. He expresses panic and fear of the Treaty Talk and American soldiers, saying things like"I was afraid of Treaty Talk and I didn't want to listen, not anymore" (Tingle 4). When people ask him about his strange premonitions of the future, he opens up honestly and trusts that their faith in the Choctaw way will allow them to believe him. Child narrators are able to tell stories more honestly than adults because they have not had the time or life experience to put up facades. Much like Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird, Isaac and other child narrators have the ability to describe fear and question injustice head-on, which in turn opens the door for discussions on things most adults describe as taboo (i.e. racism, the Holocaust, the Trail of Tears, sexism, etc.). Society has not yet taught Isaac to shy away from the hard topics, so as he narrates his story, he doesn't edit out the horrors. He includes each detail with all the honesty he can muster.

Isaac is, however, not an average child narrator. His story-telling goes beyond the innocence and observation held by most child narrators. Added as a second layer to make the narration even richer is his perspective as a ghost. After Isaac dies, he sees people and events more clearly. He sees more of the injustices performed by the American soldiers as he floats around camp at night. He feels the reluctance of some of the soldiers to commit the atrocities they're ordered to. He meets with Choctaws who have died before him, finally understanding the Choctaw idea of the fine, fluid line between life and death. While I would posit that this wealth of understanding makes Isaac lose some of his childlike innocence, becoming a ghost also gives Isaac a much wider perspective of the events on the Trail of Tears. He feels a need for justice for his people, for connection with Choctaw spirituality, and for kindness to others. As he observes and engages in the lives of the Choctaws continuing to travel the Trail, Isaac learns the importance of kindness (when they choose not to kill Leader) and community (when the ghosts continue to walk with the living Choctaws), two things that may have been hard for a child narrator to understand without gaining extra perspective. Isaac was simultaneously the voice of an innocent child and a widened elder. These two aspects of his voice allowed the reader to go beyond understanding just the physical facts of the Trail of Tears. Isaac allows the reader to truly understand the depth of the sorrow and struggles Choctaws experienced as well as the resilience and grace they met it with.

--Rebekah Malpass