Identifying Character Point of View in Literature

Character Point of View

• Character point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is narrated, with many different "lenses" through which a narrator can tell a story.
• Every story has a narrative perspective, and being able to identify the point of view and its potential advantages or disadvantages is useful and important.

Difference Between Perspective and Point of View

• Perspective refers to how a character views a situation, governing their actions and responses.
• Point of view regards the specific lens through which a narrator tells a tale, looking at how an audience interacts with the story.
• Perspective is an in-story framework, whereas point of view is an external framework.

Types of Character Point of View

• There are three main points of view: first person, second person, and third person.
• Third-person point of view is further broken down into three categories: third-person limited, third-person omniscient, and third-person objective.

First-Person Point of View

• Involves direct narration from a character that is (or was) present for the events of the story.
• Uses direct personal pronouns such as "I," "me," or "we."
• Places the character (and reader) directly into the action via the narrator.
• Example: The Martian by Andy Weir.

Second-Person Point of View

• Involves direct narration from a character to the audience, where the audience is (or was) present for the events of the story.
• Uses pronouns such as "you."
• Creates a strange engagement with the text, as telling the audience what they have or are doing creates an unusual dynamic.
• Example: The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie.

Third-Person Point of View

• Involves indirect narration about a character.
• Uses pronouns such as "he," "she," "it," or "they."
• Can be further divided into three categories: limited, omniscient, and objective.

Third-Person Omniscient Point of View

• Has the fewest restrictions, allowing the narrator to relay any information, regardless of how many characters would know it.
• Can slip into the mind of any character to explain their thoughts, motivations, or feelings.
• Example: Middlemarch by George Elliot.

Third-Person Limited Point of View

• Restricts the narration to a number of specific viewpoints.
• Relays events with pronouns such as "he," "she," or "it," but never supplies information that a specific character wouldn't know.
• Typically revolves around a single character, restricting itself to the same information that a first-person story would convey.
• Example: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.

Third-Person Objective Point of View

• Has the greatest restrictions on the information given by a narrator.
• Operates from no particular character viewpoint, regarding a situation from an exterior perspective.
• Describes events only by their physical implications, never moving into the interiority of any character.
• Example: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Choosing a Point of View

• Each different character point of view has different advantages and disadvantages.
• First-person narratives place the audience very close to the narrating character, but second-person narratives strain suspension of disbelief.
• Third-person narratives are the most flexible, but come with the price of character contact and narrative immediacy.

Significance of a Character's Point of View

• Different points of view can radically change a reader's emotional experience with a text.
• First-person narratives enable emotion to come across very clearly, while third-person objective narratives force a reader to witness emotion from a cold, unapproachable distance.
• Point of view can change a reader's experience with a literary work, creating a radically different understanding of the primary aim, moral, or message.