An Introduction to Different Types of Point of View and Their Significance

In writing, there’s what we call “Point of View.” It is the writer’s position in telling the story. It is the “eye” or narrative voice from which to narrate a story. In writing, the writer needs to decide who is the one telling the story and to whom they are telling it. The narrator might be a character involved in the story or a narrator that’s not included in the story but has a vision of it.

Every story is written from a specific point of view because the point of view is the one who gives the story its voice and first impression. It filters everything in the story, including the characters’ thoughts.

There are three types of Point of View, and these are the following:

• 1st Person Point of View

This is commonly used in writing stories, especially in fiction. One of the characters in the story is narrating from this POV. They are the ones telling the story based on what they see, what they observe, and sometimes their thoughts. It usually utilizes the pronoun “I” and relies on first-person pronouns like “me” or “my.” The novels The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and many more are excellent examples of first-person point of view and can be found by clicking on the link below: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/first-person-narration. 

In addition, there are two types of first-person POV, and those are: First Person Point of View is Limited, which means the character is telling their story; and the other is that First Person Point of View is biased, which is also used to have an unreliable narrator, where the narrator of the story can’t be trusted due to the character’s personality and their unique perspective on the world.

• 2nd Person Point of View

This kind of narration is the least used technique in fiction, as it is usually used in self-help books. The reader becomes the protagonist of this kind of narrative. They are particular in using the pronoun “you/your”. An example of this perspective is in Montpelier Parade by Karl Geary.

More of 2nd Person Point of View examples here: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/second-person.

• 3rd Person Point of View

Here, the narrator is not part of the story. The main character isn’t the one telling the story, as the one telling it is outside of it. The third person usually uses the pronouns he, him, his, she, her/hers, it, its, they, them, and theirs.

This point of view is subdivided into third person omniscient and third person limited. The third-person omniscient has access to all the thoughts and experiences of all the characters in the story. An example of it is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

More examples of third person omniscient here: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/3rd-person-omniscient.

And the other, the third-person limited, which means the narrator doesn’t have access to all the characters in the story. It is the opposite of the former, as it usually only focuses on one character. An example of it is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.

More examples of third person limited here: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/third-person-limited.

Points of view are important in the story. It’s always present as it crucially affects the flow of the story. The chosen perspective should be used efficiently as it is the one that carries the whole plot or the whole narrative. It helps the reader understand the character’s feelings and actions. Finding the right perspective is also finding the right way of telling the story.