Execution of Implausible Narrative Technique in George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo

Abstract

George Saunders, a well-known short fiction writer made his debut with  the novel- Lincoln in the Bardo. His attempt was to eulogize Abraham Lincoln as a lamenting father for his beloved dead son. The unique technique that he has employed in his writing is implausible and beyond recognition, which is the reason for Saunders to be a Man Booker Prize winner of 2017. Unlike several other novels, Lincoln in the Bardo is not narrated by one or two narrators or a few characters, instead, there are a total of one hundred and sixty-six narrators and the other interesting fact is that all of them are ghosts, unaware of their death, sharing their experiences in the graveyard or say 'Bardo'. Bardo is a Tibetan Buddhist term i.e., the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Saunders' motive is not only to project what happens after life but also, he intelligently portrays the other social issues in society. Bardo, the concept, whatever might come after death, helps Saunders to bring into dialogue portraits of people from all levels of society. He metamorphically arranges fantastic shapes with odd tics.