“You” and “We”: A Rhetorical Analysis on “You” Narrative in Jennifer Egan’s “Black Box”

Abstract

Building on rhetorical narrative theory, this essay analyzes Jennifer Egan’s 2012 Twitter fiction “Black Box,” as the writer moves seamlessly among three kinds of second-person narration: (a) the protagonist “you,” a woman on a U.S. national security mission in the not-so-distant future, addressing herself in her own voice; (b) “you” addressing herself in the voice of a “we” even when “we” is not explicitly marked; and (c) “you” addressing herself by repeating what “we” has instructed her. Egan orchestrates the interaction among these three kinds of narration to deliver a sharp contrast between the technological breakthroughs of the near future and the persistent devaluation of women by those in power. This essay further suggests that Egan’s text is itself a “black box,” whose distinctive use of “you” narration and “we” narration conveys rich signals that her audience needs to decipher on multiple levels: interpretive, ethical, and aesthetic.