Iv - University of Salford Institutional Repository

one to whom the message is addressed. His participation in the
discourse is insignificant, almost imperceptible. The narrator-
narratee relationship is uni-directional in the sense that it does not
allow the narratee to interfere in the course of the narrative. The
narrator employs various narratological devices such as flash back,
digression, prediction, interpolation, and retrospect. He manipulates
such rhetorical devices with exceptional skill and artistry to maintain
suspense and captivate the narratee's interest and attention.
Although there are two distinct characters in the story which the
reader can, easily identify as narrator and narratee, addresser and
addressee, there is yet a third character far more significant than the
other two. The physical as well as the spiritual presence of the down
tree makes itself felt throughout the story. Firm and high-towering it
stands at the sepulchre of Wad Hamid with its massive shadow
overwhelming the entire scene. The narrator, the narratee, and indeed
every single person living in the village are mystified by the
inexplicably mysterious power of the tree. Unlike any other tree, it
rises in the midst of hard and solid rocks with the river twisting
below it like a sacred snake. The down tree is the symbol of the past,
the static status quo, complacency, peace of mind, and above all
contentment "with what God sees fit to give us". (line 27 of the
source text)
161