On Narrative Features Of A Hero Ain't Nothin' But A Sandwich

Alice Childress, an African-American woman writer, in her young-adult novel A Hero Ain't Nothin'But a Sandwich, tells a story about a 13-year-old black boy taking drugs, the reactions of his family members and the people around, and her observation and reflection on the growing-up pains of the African-American teenagers. The novel is unique with two narrative devices. First, the story is told in multiple first-person point of view. Second, non-fictional materials like bulletins, newspaper items, and advertisements are inserted between certain chapters. These two features make the book a combination of fictional writing and documentary materials.Based on narratological theories on"point of view", this thesis primarily aims at a further study of"multiple first-person point of view"in the novel. Meanwhile, the use of"inserted chapters"as the other narrative device will be analyzed so as to exploit the narratological uniqueness and artistic effects of the novel.This thesis falls into five parts. Part One gives a brief introduction to Alice Childress and her A Hero Ain't Nothin'But a Sandwich and also summarizes the situation of current studies on this novel. The central argument of the thesis is put forward also in this part. Beginning with the definition of"point of view"and its significance, Chapter One deals with some theories on"points of view", particularly the typologies of different scholars and the major functions of"multiple first-person point of view".Chapter Two analyzes A Hero Ain't Nothin'But a Sandwich from the aspect of point of view. This chapter emphatically analyzes the use and functions of multiple first-person point of view in the novel.Chapter Three mainly analyzes the use and artistic effects of the inserted chapters in the novel.The last part serves as a conclusion, which reviews the narrative features of A Hero Ain't Nothin'But a Sandwich. Additionally, the significance and value of the study are highlighted in this part.