Rather, the reader is only exposed to the short, choppy explanations of a first person narrator. Very little explanation is given as to why the events are happening or who the characters really are underneath their outward expressions and appearances. This tends to add to the general confusion the narrator feels during the intensely scary situation. One moment the narrator was thinking about tailgating with friends, and the next he is on the floor after being hit by a bus. The level of description coincides with the overall tone of confusion. The events following the initial accident also tend to carry this sense of confusion, but the atmosphere is much faster paced. The hospital and the ensuing trouble the narrator faces is in a much more rapid and hectic atmosphere than the dull and dreary atmosphere seen...
On the one hand, Butler's tale is a seemingly reliable and educated narrator who is gloomy and melancholy when discussing how dementia has damaged her family's ability to enjoy their lives. On the other, Riederer presents a much more erratic, unreliable narrator that is dominated by confusion. Yet, the two are both compelling stories reacting to terrible health concerns.
Works Cited
Butler, Katy. "What Broke My Father's Heart." New York Times. 2010. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/magazine/20pacemaker-t.html?pagewanted=all
Riederer, Rachel. "Patient." The Missouri Review, 33(1), 2010. Pp 152-166.
