What is a Point of View?
Point of view (POV) refers to the writer’s perspective from which a story or a narrative is told. It is the lens through which the events, characters, and experiences in a story are portrayed. In written works such as narratives, poems, and songs, the speaker or narrator provides the point of view.
In Edgar Ellen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, the entire story is told from the eyes of the narrator, Montresor. Therefore, the POV here is that of Montresor.
In general, POV influences readers’ perception and understanding of a story, shapes their connections with characters, and engages them with the plot. In writing, POV is a crucial element that impacts the overall narrative structure along with a reader’s experience. Based on who is telling the story, three POVs are popular in writing: first-person, second-person, and third-person. These are explained in detail in the following sections.
First-Person Point of View
The first-person point of view is where the story is directly told from a character’s perspective. The story is narrated using singular (I, me, my,) as well as plural first-person pronouns (we, us, our, and ourselves). Because readers experience events through the narrator’s eyes, this POV creates intimacy and builds the story’s credibility. Readers gain a deeper understanding of the narrator’s emotions, perceptions, and inner conflicts.
One unique aspect of the first-person POV is the unreliable narrator. When a story is filtered through the perspective of a single character, readers tend to consider the narrator’s biases, limitations, and subjectivity. This adds an element of suspense and intrigue to the narrative and leads to surprising plot twists and revelations. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story written in the first-person POV. The story is told by an unnamed narrator who murders an old man. The entire book utilizes singular pronouns, which is evident in the following book excerpt:
Every night about twelve o’clock I slowly opened his door. And
when the door was opened wide enough I put my hand in, and then
my head. In my hand I held a light covered over with a cloth so that
no light showed.
Another literary work that’s written in first-person POV is Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Jean Finch acts as both the narrator and the protagonist in the story’s narrative and introduces other characters as in the passage below:
When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we
sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells
started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before
That.
Sometimes, more than one character is involved in the first-person POV. Mary Shelley uses three primary narrators in her work Frankenstein: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Monster.
The first-person POV adds a personal touch to writing, as it gives readers first-hand insight into the protagonist’s thoughts.
Second-Person Point of View
The second-person point of view is a narrative perspective in which the story is presented from the standpoint of addressing the reader directly through second-person pronouns such as “you,” “your,” or “yours.” This POV is not commonly used in traditional fiction writing because it is challenging to sustain an entire narrative. However, it works well in specific contexts, such as interactive fiction, instructional manuals, self-help books, or persuasive writing. Ray Bradbury’s The Night uses a second-person POV, which is evident in the snippet below:
You are a child in a small town in 1927. You’re home with your mom. Your older brother, Skipper, is twelve and allowed to stay out later. When it’s almost nine-thirty, your mother wonders where Skipper is. After a while, she says you’re both going out for a walk.
This narration is of an older, wiser version of an eight-year-old boy, who is also the narrator of the story.
Another example is Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, which showcases a mother-daughter relationship. The speaker, the Mother, directly addresses her daughter as “you”.
;this is how you iron your father’s khaki shirt so that it doesn’t have a crease; this is how you iron your father’s khaki pants so that they don’t have a crease; this is how you grow okra—far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard…
The second-person POV requires careful execution to maintain coherence and avoid reader detachment. Hence, writers need to consider the genre, narrative structure, and the effect they want to achieve before deciding to use this POV in their writing.
Third-Person Point of View
The third-person point of view involves an external narrator. It uses third-person pronouns such as he/she, himself/herself, it/itself, they/them/their(s) to describe a character. It provides an objective and external view of events, offering a broader understanding of the story. Readers gain insights into multiple characters’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This POV is further categorized into three main types of perspectives: objective, omniscient, and limited omniscient.
Objective Third-Person Point of View
In a third-person objective POV, the narrator uses an observational tone. They do not have access to characters’ thoughts and feelings but witness the action happening in a story.
The following is a passage from Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, which has a third-person objective POV narration style.
Nancy next,” Mr. Summers said. Nancy was twelve, and her school friends breathed heavily as she went forward, switching her skirt, and took a slip daintily from the box. “Bill, Jr.,” Mr. Summers said, and Billy, his face red and his feet overlarge, nearly knocked the box over as he got a paper out. “Tessie,” Mr. Summers said. She hesitated for a minute, looking around defiantly, and then set her lips and went up to the box. She snatched a paper out and held it behind her.
In this, the narrator is not a participant and presents the events as an outside observer. This POV provides the opportunity to explore multiple storylines and character arcs, weaving together a complex and interconnected narrative.
Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants is also written from the third-person objective POV.
Omniscient Third-Person Point of View
In the omniscient third-person POV, a narrator shares a character’s thoughts and feelings along with their own opinions and observations throughout the story. The following paragraph is from William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies:
His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.
Readers are aware of what Ralph, Piggy, and other characters are feeling. The narrator here is impartial and distant; he moves back and forth omnisciently between different scenes and thoughts within the book.
Limited Omniscient Third-Person Point of View
In limited omniscient third-person POV, the narrator spends most of their time on one or only a selected number of characters but not all. This POV allows authors to limit their readers’ perspectives. There’s no usage of first-person pronouns, and readers do not have access to other characters’ thoughts and feelings.
Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour narrates the thoughts of a woman named Mrs. Mallard after she hears the news about her husband’s death. This is a third-person limited omniscient POV. The narration is from an outside POV but is limited to Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and feelings only.
All these POVs bring unique vantage points, influencing the reader’s connection, understanding, and interpretation of the story. The selection of the most suitable POV depends on the desired narrative effect, character development, and engagement with the readers. In the art of storytelling, one can employ multiple POVs to create dynamic and compelling narratives. This would make the reading experience both enriching and memorable.
