The frame narrative in Charles W. Chesnutt's The Goophered Grapevine creates a hidden tension between the viewpoints of the internal narrator's voice and the voice of the external narrator. Uncle Julius McAdoo is Chesnutt's internal narrator, and serves a storyteller in the story. He exemplifies the characteristics of a former slave such as being uneducated and unable to speak Standard English. Julius is old, poor, and uneducated. These characteristics set him up as being a person that lacks credibility. However, early on in the story Julius claims his credibility as a storyteller by saying "Day ain' na'er a man in dis settlement w' at won' tell you ole Julius McAdoo' uz bawn en raise on dis yer same plantation", (N: pg. 526). This statement informs the external narrator of Julius' history with the plantation. The external narrator is John whom plans to buy the...