What is a Point of View?
Point of view (POV) refers to the narrative voice or perspective from which authors convey a story. When crafting novels or any form of literature, creators decide “who” tells it.
Different Types of Point of View:
There are three types of POV: first-person POV (“I drank the last of the milk and fell asleep”), second-person POV (“You make your own destiny”), and third-person POV (“She seized her last day on Earth”). Each type of POV varies according to how the authors connect to the readers. So, let’s talk about each type here.
First-Person: The Narrator’s Perspective
The first-person point of view (or first-person POV) tells the story from the narrator’s perspective and uses the pronouns “I,” “We,” “Us,” “Me,” or “My.” We use first-person POV when we talk about ourselves, such as in job interviews or casual conversations (“I designed a software that skyrocketed my company’s leads”). In literature, the narrator in first-person is either the protagonist or an outlying character, meaning someone that’s not directly involved in the story. Autobiographies and memoir often use first-person POV.
Examples of First-Person POV in Literature
For example, let’s look at two instances of first-person POV in literature:
- From Every Day by David Levithan:
“I am a drifter, and as lonely as that can be, it is also remarkably freeing. I will never define myself in terms of anyone else. I will never feel the pressure of peers or the burden of parental expectation. I can view everyone as pieces of a whole, and focus on the whole, not the pieces”
Here, the protagonist named A narrates the surreal experience of waking up in a different person’s body every single day. The novel’s first-person POV forges a deep connection between A and the readers. Meanwhile, A’s perspective hooks the readers to an otherworldly journey of bliss and misfortune.
- From The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold:
“My name is Salmon, like the fish. First name: Susie. I was fourteen years old when I was murdered on December 6th, 1973. I was here for a moment, and then I was gone.”
The omniscient narrator and protagonist Susie Salmon speaks from the afterlife and details how she was murdered. The first-person POV unravels a thrilling personal account of Susie’s life and death. What’s more captivating is Susie’s omniscience that gives her access to the emotions of other characters, allowing her to share their thoughts with the readers.
Second-Person: Talking to You
The second-person point of view (or second-person POV) directly talks to the readers as if they’re a character in the story. That is to say, it uses the pronouns “you,” “your,” and “yours,” as in:
- Every morning, you screamed at your reflection in the mirror, then you go about your day.
- The burden of saving them was never yours.
Second person POV is uncommon in novels because as much as it engages the readers by directly addressing them, it tends to limit the scope of storytelling. Reading numerous “you” in a long-form text can be exhausting. However, the second person POV works well in self-help books, slogans or advertisements, famous quotes, and songs.
- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- Because You’re Worth It – L’OrĂ©al Paris
- Your home away from home. (hotel tagline)
Example of Second-Person POV in Literature
For example, prolific author Lorie Moore makes brilliant use of second POV in her humor-packed self-help book How to Become a Writer. Here’s an excerpt from her masterpiece:
- “Decide that you like college life. In your dorm you meet many nice people. Some are smarter than you. And some, you notice, are dumber than you. You will continue, unfortunately, to view the world in exactly these terms for the rest of your life.”
Moore’s powerful use of second person POV evokes a vivid image of a writer’s life and creates a strong bond with the readers.
Third-Person: From the Outside Looking In
The third-person point of view (also called third-person POV) narrates from the perspective of a peripheral character, someone from the outside looking in. It uses the pronouns “he,” “she,” “they,” “them,” “him,” “her,” “his,” “it,” etc. Dubbed as the most popular POV in fiction writing, third-person POV usually comes in two kinds: third-person omniscient and third-person limited.
What is Third-Person Omniscient?
In the third-person omniscient, an all-knowing and all-seeing narrator not only observes the characters and tells the story but also delves deeper into what they feel and think. This godlike perspective drives the works of classic and contemporary master storytellers alike. Here’s an example usage from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere:
- “Richard began to understand darkness: darkness as something solid and real, so much more than a simple absence of light. He felt it touch his skin, questing, moving, exploring: gliding through his mind. It slipped into his lungs, behind his eyes, into his mouth…”
Here, the narrator enters into Richard’s psyche to express how Richard faces his demons. Although Richard is the protagonist, the narrator proceeds to unravel other characters like The Marquis, as evident here:
- “The marquis de Carabas was not a good man, and he knew himself well enough to be perfectly certain that he was not a brave man. He had long since decided that the world, Above or Below, was a place that wished to be deceived, and, to this end, he had named himself from a lie in a fairy tale, and created himself–his clothes, his manner, his carriage–as a grand joke.
Because omniscient narration dissects each character without having to enter their world, this POV takes the readers to an in-depth experience of the characters – their thoughts, sensations, and everything in between.
What is Third-Person Limited?
In contrast to omniscient narration, the narrator in third-person limited POV (also called “close” third) conveys the story in the third person but sticks only to one character. (“Anne knew she was meant for greatness, but without her mom, she felt lost.). As this narration style dives into the consciousness of only one character, the readers watch the story unfold through that character’s limited perspective.
Dan Brown’s mystery thriller Da Vinci Code is mostly told in close third POV where the narrator follows Robert Langdon and his labyrinthine quest to crack an ancient code. As the readers get into Langdon’s thoughts, they gasp, fear, struggle, and search for answers along with him. They don’t know what he doesn’t know, and as a result, that compels them to read more.
Choosing the Right Point of View:
Selecting POV is crucial in conveying our story, whether it’s an essay, novel, or film. Often, the choice lies in how we want to engage our audience – should the narrator be one with the cast (first-person)? Should we break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience (second-person)? Or maybe narrate from a godlike standpoint (third-person omniscient)?
The good thing is, our choice isn’t limited to one. Writers shift perspectives to dig into each character’s realities and tendencies. And such freedom does nothing but make storytelling a soul-stirring pursuit.
Thank you for reading. We hope it’s effective! Always feel free to revisit this page if you ever have any questions about point of view.
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