Unreliable Narrator

The motif of the unreliable narrator is central to the reader’s experience of the story. Anna’s narration is a closed system in which her interpretation is the only available information for the reader. An unbiased, objective explanation of events is never established. The text offers no external perspective, no alternative voice, and no authoritative account against which Anna’s claims can be measured.

Anna is presented as someone whose perceptions are unstable. She describes herself as anxious, withdrawn, and dependent on rigid routines in order to function. This instability is demonstrated through moments that clearly cannot be taken at face value, such as her belief that the garden is gradually moving further away from the house and the windows are becoming more opaque. These perceptions are not realistically possible. Thus, their inclusion alerts the reader to the fact that Anna’s inner world...