Elements and their properties in science

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 of time. The narrator can act, and reflect, and most importantly the narrator reveals the extent of the information available to the reader. This means that the reader can know Sammy to be a typical teenager who acts on his whims before the plot develops and he does act on a whim in vain. And it also shows how crazy Emily is, and how people saw her as crazy before the specifics of the craziness are fully revealed. While Faulkner's use of the narrative is less integral to the impact of the story, the story is told from a gossipy towns-person in a manner which cannot be duplicated from the third person. The third person would know too much, and the chronology could not be told in such intricate fashion. The point of view is an integral aspect of the work. The same can be said of Updike's story, as the reader can only be lead towards Sammy's actions by Sammy himself. Sammy reveals information and acts on the information he reveals, creating a greater impact for the reader than if merely told from the outside. The point of view, regardless of style and usage, in both "A&P" and "A Rose for Emily," is important and makes possible what would otherwise be impossible in a short story. Point of view, the perspective from which a story is told, is an element of a story that contributes greatly to all other aspects of the story. In particular, the first person point of view helps to show this, as the first person narrative helps to develop the story's and add to emotional impact. While perspectives can take on different forms, the point of view limits what an author can accomplish, and it also allows the author to accomplish more. This is clearly evident in "A&P" by John Updike and "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. Both employ the first person point of view in order to add emotional impact for the reader, and she light on a perspective of which a character within the story has. The narrator becomes a character through his or her point of view, and the power of this element of literature regardless of the particular point of view is demonstrated.