The Role of Ambiguity in Literature Rachel C McAfee 12th Grade

Art lives in a realm of ambiguity, and it is ambiguity that grants it greater applicability to the average life. In Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham, three narratives lack detail as to draw greater attention to the ideas within the narratives and the idea of individuality within society. In We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, a dystopian society is rarely detailed, and character motives rarely dealt with, as Zamyatin tackles the ideas of revolution and individuality. Heavy employment of ambiguity in both Specimen Days and We functions to draw attention away from the minute details of the created worlds, and rather draw focus to the characters and their interactions, as well as the greater commentaries within each text.

In Specimen Days, the three part structure of the text draws focus away from the actual society and setting, rather drawing attention to the characters and motifs that wind through each storyline. The book is divided into three parts- “In the Machine”, “The Children’s Crusade”, and “Like Beauty”- set in the past, present, and future respectively. The styles of the three storylines differ greatly, one a ghost story, another a mystery, and the last a futuristic dystopian retelling. By differentiating the stories so much...