English 9 / Unit 2: Characterization and Point of View
2.5 Effect of Point of View and Reliability
Notes
The choice of POV shapes what readers know and how they feel.
- First person and third limited create closeness and can build suspense because readers only know what one character knows.
- Omniscient POV lets readers see the bigger picture and can create dramatic irony.
- An unreliable narrator cannot be fully trusted, because of bias, lying, youth, confusion or limited knowledge.
- Clues to unreliability: contradictions, other characters disagreeing, obvious self-justifying.
- Example: "I'm the most patient person alive," said the narrator, right before yelling at the waiter for the third time.
Practice
"Everyone says I'm selfish, but I only took the last three slices because nobody else was really hungry." The narrator is most likely:
The narrator justifies selfish behavior, so their judgment is doubtful.
A mystery is told in first person by the detective. How does this POV build suspense?
A limited view keeps readers guessing.
Why might an author choose omniscient POV for a story with many characters?
Omniscient narrators can enter any character's mind.
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