Devil on the Cross

The narrator introduces the story and occasionally interjects comments and observations on the events of the story, as well as pleas for help. From the start, the narrator admits that he is sharing the story against the wishes of some residents in Ilmorog. Thus, the reader immediately understands that he is determined to speak the truth and seek justice for those implicated in the story. His determination is revealed once again when at the end of his story, he calls on “you who asked me to share this story” to “Give me strength…Give me the tongue. Give me the words…”

Unlike some narrators, this narrator speaks on the behalf of a larger group or community of people, and he is only convinced to tell this story when he hears the “pleading cries of many voices”. In this sense, the act of narrating the story becomes a more communal and healing act of sharing, and a call to action.