Roger Ebert Voice

The voice in this piece is really interesting because it switches back and forth between a third person limited and third person omniscient voice, almost. The piece starts with a more omniscient voice, giving physical details and explaining things that you wouldn't have to be in the mind of Roger Ebert to know. For example, his clothes and the things he brought with him, like tissue and moisturizer, are the things that are described rather than attempting to get into the mind of Ebert yet. What this does is start the reader out as distanced; the reader does not go in with a sense of ease, it deliberately reminds us that we are not Roger Ebert and that we are only able to see the surface. This voice is not consistent throughout, however. The voice begins to switch more to a third person limited view more and the reader starts getting more into what he is thinking and things that nobody would know expect for him. For instance, when the reader starts getting examples about the last things he ate and drank, questions are posed as if the reader is in his head and we are hearing his thoughts. It says "his last drink? Water, most likely, but maybe juice" and this puts the reader in the mind of Roger Ebert. This voice is what connects us to Roger Ebert and how the reader begins to feel and understand this person. These two different voices are necessary to accomplish this, though, because one keeps us appropriately distanced and one brings us into his mind just enough so that we understand at least some of the way his brain works and the thoughts that he has and who he is as a person. The two voices juxtapose each other to remind us that we are just readers and can only get so close but still give us a close look at part of this man.