21 Lesson 8: Exploring Points of View
Narrators
Narrators are a tool that writers use to tell stories. As stated before, stories are generally told in one of two points of views:
- First-person point of view
- Third-person point of view
First-person point of view means that one of the characters in the story will narrate–give an account–of the story. The narrator may be the protagonist, the main character. Writing in first-person point of view brings the readers closer to the story. They can read it as if they are the narrator because of the personal pronouns I, me, my, we, us, and our.
Third-person point of view means that the narrator is not in the story. The third-person narrator is not a character. They are like the reader; they are outside of the story and watching it unfold. Third-person point of view can be done two ways:
- Third-person limited
- Third-person omniscient
Third-person limited means that the narrator limits him/herself by being able to be in one character’s thoughts. Whereas, third-person omniscient means the narrator has unlimited ability to be in various character’s thoughts. Writing in third-person point of view removes readers from the story because of the pronouns he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, they, them, and theirs.
Types of Narrators
In addition to the point of view writers select for the narration of the story, narrators can be unreliable, reliable, naive, or detached observers.
Unreliable Narrators
Unreliable narrators cannot be trusted to present the story accurately or with credibility because they have a skewed view of life events. This may be due to the narrator’s mental health state (i.e.: depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, etc.), or it may be due to the narrator’s devious nature (i.e.: murderer, rapist, thief, compulsive liar, etc.). The unreliable narrator may tell lies, withhold information, assess situations incorrectly, contradict information, etc.
Unreliable narrators may reveal their character flaws in three ways:
- They may openly admit their problem at the beginning of the story.
- They may gradually reveal it throughout the story.
- They may wait until the end of the story, which can create a plot twist for readers.
Reliable Narrators
Reliable narrators also have their own view of life events. However, they generally are attempting to present the story in an accurate, impartial way. Reliable narrators often have a strong sense of observation that is seen in how they present the events (scenes) in the story.
Naive Narrators
Naive narrators are innocent, inexperienced individuals. They lack knowledge about the events (scenes) that are unfolding in the story. This may be due to age, such as a young narrator or senile narrator, or it may be the narrator’s limited experience with a different culture or country. Readers may view the narrator as unreliable because of their lack of experience and/or knowledge.
Detached Observers
Narrators that are detached observers stick to the facts. They are a witnes