Point of view — Literature, 14–17 years
The same event changes when a different voice tells it. Learn how the narrator controls what we know, feel and doubt.
What point of view does
Point of view is the position from which a story reaches us. A first-person narrator says I and gives us one character’s window onto events; a third-person narrator may follow one mind or several. The choice decides what is visible, hidden or uncertain.
Why writers choose a viewpoint
Readers need a way to know what is happening, but complete knowledge can remove suspense and mystery. Writers therefore limit or arrange information through a narrator. This grew from the problem of turning many events and minds into one readable experience.
Worked example: The Tell-Tale Heart
In Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, the speaker insists that he is sane and describes the murder from inside his own mind. Step 1: notice the repeated I and his private thoughts. Step 2: compare his confidence with the sounds he hears. Step 3: conclude that his viewpoint is limited and probably unreliable.
Trap: narrator is not author
It is natural to treat a first-person voice as the writer speaking, because the voice sounds personal. But a narrator is a created role, not proof of the author’s beliefs or actions. Ask what this speaker knows, wants and may be hiding before judging the whole book.
Where viewpoint appears
Viewpoint matters in novels, memoirs, films and video games. A news report, a witness statement or a social-media post also gives only one angle on an event. Noticing the angle helps you separate what was observed from what was guessed, selected or left out.
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