Term Paper on "Point"

Term Paper 5 pages (1930 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Point of View

It is often that a point of view defines a story as a critical

element, and this is the case in both John Updike's "A&P" and William

Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily." Both stories share the first person point

of view, meaning that one view is intimately related to the reader, and

this view is perhaps biased from the perspective of the narrator, not the

author. This contributes to the story as in both Updike's and Faulkner's

short stories, the perspective of the narrator helps to illustrate the

themes and concepts of the story that would not otherwise be possible from

a third person point of view. "A&P" and "A Rose for Emily" rely on the

first person point of view as a critical element to the story, with the

primary difference between the usages of the first person point of view

being that in "A&P" the narrator is directly tied to the story while the

narrator of "A Rose for Emily" is reflecting on past events from a group

perspective.

Point of view is the experience of the narrator, and thus is an

important element of literature. Point of view can be defined broadly as

"the perspective from which the story is told" and usually consists of

either the first or third person (CUNY). Within the different point of

views there are variances, such as if the narrator is omniscient or knows

everything, or is completely objective, or knows a only a limited amount of

information (CUNY). The first person, or "I" point of view has been

described as "the most obvious point of view" as the narrator is a

character in the story (CUNY). This is the case of the aforementioned

short stories, as when one reads a story, such as "A&P" and "A Rose for

Emily," the narrator's experience is what is related to the reader, either

directly as in "A&P" or indirectly, in "A Rose for Emily." This use of a

viewpoint helps to relay much of what the author tries to get across to the

reader, as the narrator has action in the story; the narrator makes

judgments, comes to conclusions, inputs his or her own opinion, and may

even directly effect the actions of the story. Thus, the first person

point of view is highly influential to a story's development, as the

character of the narrator has bias in his or her portrayal of the events,

making it an integral aspect of storytelling.

The two short stories of this focus, "A&P" and "A Rose for Emily"

demonstrate how point of view functions to influence a short story.

Looking at "A&P" by John Updike as an example, one can see not only point

of views importance but perhaps its necessity to help elicit a certain

point of a story. In "A&P," the narrator is a teenage clerk at a

Massachusetts grocery store named Sammy. Sammy narrates the story as it is

happening, and often interjects commentary whether it is related to the

plot or not. For example in the midst of his telling of the story, which

is happening as if being told in real time, Sammy says, "You never know for

sure how girls' minds work," which does not necessarily move the plot

forward (Updike). This not only helps to understand Sammy, but offers a

sense of reality to the story. As the story develops, it is clear the

Sammy's narration is the key aspect as his commentary about the girl is the

main plot. Sammy works as a clerk, and the story follows his reaction to

the events going on around him. "I watched them all the way," Sammy says

as he reflects on the girls' appearance in bathing suits in the grocery

(Updike). This first person perspective is the crux of the story as all

the reader knows is what Sammy has communicated, and his reflection on the

girls is the primary plot as he follows the queen and the two others

through the store through the eyes of a teenage male.

The ending of "A&P" is dependent on the first person point of view as

well as Sammy becomes an actor in the story as the girls come to his

checkout counter. As he reflects on his interaction with the girls, he

overhears a conversation between the manager telling the girls how to dress

properly. Sammy becomes directly involved in the story as he quits his

job, and he tells the reader through apparently unbiased plot summary. It

is clear he realizes what will result from his actions as he quits because

he makes it clear to the reader he will, but most importantly at the end

Sammy concludes that "my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world

was going to be to me hereafter" (Updike). This direct reflective response

is made possible through the first person narrative as Sammy, now as an

actor in the plot, refers to his feelings towards his actions. This

relates to the theme of the story, in which a character acts without fully

realizing the consequences, and because Sammy realizes his actions were for

naught, so does the reader. But the reader comes to realize it at the same

point Sammy does through the first person narrative, thus the point of view

is integral to the theme and helps elicit an emotional response from the

reader that would not otherwise have been possible.

Similarly, William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" also utilizes the

first person point of view. This point of view is written by what appears

to be a biased observer, but one reflective of the general sentiment of the

people of the town towards the subject of the store, Emily. The narrator

comments, "our whole town went to her funeral," and although it is never

depicted exactly who the narrator is, it is understood to be one of the

townspeople who adequately knows the details that are being narrated

(Faulkner). This is a very different type of narration than in "A&P," as

although it is a first person point of view, it is from a general

perspective reflecting a general sentiment and the narrator is not

narrating the events as they occur. In fact, Faulkner does not have the

narrator narrate in chronological order, but rather retell the events in

the order which will give the reader the greatest dramatic effect. By

depicting the story through a first person narrator in the manner he does,

Faulkner is able to add not only a dramatic effect, but shed light on the

general sentiment of the town, which is a point he wants to get across.

This point, of the general sentiment of the town, is critical to "A

Rose for Emily" and could not be achieved without a first person narrator.

Thus it is of benefit for the narrator to be general and reflective, and

not an actor in the story, which differs from the narrator in "A&P." While

the narrator is often unbiased, as the narrator tells of the negro, "He

walked right through the house and out the back and was not seen again,"

which allows the reader to make conclusions, it nevertheless reflects the

attitude of the people of how crazy Emily went and how restrictive her Dad

was of her. The last line of the work is further evidence of these points

as it reads, "One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that

faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long

strand of iron-gray hair" (Faulkner). This not only indicates the attitude

of a general narrator, but also allows for the reader to make conclusions.

The point of view achieves its purpose, as it gets the story across without

much bias, in which the narrator does not act but is more of a reporter on

the actions regarding Emily's life.

In comparing the use of the narrator between these two short stories,

the varied possibilities of the use of point of view are clearly evident,

but very different. Faulkner's use of point of view allows the reader to

make conclusions, which is contrast to Updike's use of the first person in

which Sammy tells the reader what he has learned. Sammy is also an actor

in the story, and while the narrator of Faulkner's work participates, but

does not partake in any action that directly impacts the plot of the work.

As both of these short stories use point of view to accomplish their point,

they do so in a highly contrasting fashion which illustrates the

flexibility and power of point of view, in particular that of the first

person.

The use of the first person point of view in both stories, albeit

different, allows the author's to accomplish things that would not

otherwise be possible. The narrator becomes a character and takes on a

persona, either that of an entire town over many years or of one individual

in a short given amount… READ MORE

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