Third-person Objective The narrator is a spectator of events. A novel written from an objective point of view does not contain references to thoughts or feelings, only reporting what can be seen and heard (like a roving movie camera). An author would choose to write objectively in order to show (not tell) the reader what is going on so they can infer what the characters might be thinking. Example: “The Lottery” (short story) by Shirley Jackson “Soon the men began to gather. surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother's grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his place between his father and his oldest brother.” Example: “Hansel and Gretel” by The Brothers Grimm “Oh! father,” said Hansel, “I am looking back at my white kitten, which is sitting on the roof, waving me a farewell.” The woman exclaimed, “What a donkey you are! That isn't your kitten, that’s the morning sun shining on the chimney.” But Hansel had not looked back at his kitten, but had always dropped one of the white pebbles out of his pocket on to the path. Third-person Omniscient The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters. The all-knowing author will move from character to character, allowing the events to be interpreted by different voices while keeping a godlike distance. A writer might choose to write from this point of view in order to allow the reader to connect with various characters as they understand the events of the story through their separate sets of eyes. Example: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott “Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen, and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain. Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt … Elizabeth, or Beth, as everyone called her, was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen, with a shy manner, a timid voice, and a peaceful expression, which was seldom disturbed …” Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen “Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.” Third-person Limited The narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of one character (typically the protagonist). Writers use this point of view as it offers a way for the reader connect with the main character (think of a mind-reading video camera placed on someone’s shoulder). Example: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling “Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous… but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly. The Dursleys hadn’t even remembered that today happened to be Harry’s twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn’t been high…” Example: The Giver by Lois Lowry “It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.”