Uncle Fred Flits By Reading Response

            Stories depend on their storytellers. Uncle Fed Flits By by P.G. Wodehouse has a very interesting narrator. The story is about how the crazy Uncle Fred comes to visit he nephew, Pongo, and causes them both to get into some pretty crazy situations. Uncle Fred Flits By is told by one of Pongo’s friends, called simply, The Crumpet. In Uncle Fred Flits By, the narrator changes the reader’s understanding of the story in terms of perspective and reliability.

            The Crumpet, as said previously, changes the readers understanding of the story in terms of the perspective of the story. The Crumpet was, in fact, told this story by none other than Pongo. So in reality, the story is told from Pongo’s perspective as well as The Crumpet’s. Another interesting part about the effect of The Crumpet’s perspective on the story is that because the Crumpet was told this story by Pongo, we, the readers, have no idea what happens to any of the characters before and after Pongo comes into the picture. The Crumpet’s perspective as you can see is also Pongo’s.

            The Crumpet also changes readers understanding of the story in terms of reliability. Since the story was told by Pongo, to The Crumpet, to another character, we can’t be sure that the story wasn’t embellished. Pongo could have embellished the story as he told it to The Crumpet, to put himself in a better light, and to make his Uncle Fred seem crazier than he really was. The Crumpet could have also been embellishing the story as he told it to his guest to make it seem more exciting. All in all, since the story was told through word of mouth, and we can’t exactly trust the storytellers, we can’t be sure that the story wasn’t embellished.

            In conclusion, in Uncle Fred Flits By, The Crumpet, in terms of perspective and reliability, changes the readers’ understanding of the text. Without the Crumpet, the story would have taken on a different tone, and it definitely wouldn’t have been as funny as it was. As you can see, the narrators of every story help push it along and give the story its tone, which makes us love it or even hate it.