The Classroom

What Is Point of View in a Story? 9 Perspectives To Explore

Katrina Freund

Aug 9, 2024

Every story has a point of view. Whether it’s a story you tell a friend about something that happened in your classroom or a fictional book your students read, there’s always a lens through which the author tells and the reader experiences a story.

For students, it helps to address the question, “What is the point of view in a story?” when teaching this literacy skill. Then, you can explain each potential option using examples from novels and other texts to make the concept stick.

What is point of view?

Point of view (POV) is a literary device writers use to decide who tells the story and whom they’re telling it to. It determines how much information the reader or audience gets about the characters or situations.

POV also influences a story's perspective and how the reader understands a character’s feelings or actions, events, and other details. For example, if one of the main characters narrates the story, readers may feel more connected to that character than to a secondary character. This is because the reader can see the narrator’s feelings and emotions.

9 points of view an author can use to write a story

There are nine different kinds of POVs you may encounter in a text. They include:

1. First-person point of view

First-person point of view shares a story or narrative through the eyes of one person or character. The narrator is part of the story and interacts with other characters. They insert themselves into the actions and dialogue.

First-person point of view may include many sensory details—like sight, smell, taste, or touch— to help bring the reader into the speaker’s world. Additionally, the narrator refers to themself as “I” or “me” throughout the story and other characters as “he,” “she,” or “they.”

First-person POV limits what the reader knows and learns about the characters and situations in the text. Authors may choose to write in the first-person to:

Strengthen character connections: First-person accounts make it easier for readers to connect and empathize with the narrator.
Share opinions: First-person POV helps readers determine facts from opinions or personal beliefs.
Create intrigue: Telling a story from the perspective of someone who isn’t all-knowing creates intrigue around other characters or situations.

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is a good example of a first-person story that creates intrigue. The story builds suspense as we follow the narrator through the journey, uncovering more of the tale along with them in real time. Other genres and types of texts that use first-person point of view include:

Fictional stories
Personal reflections
Memoirs or autobiographies
Opinion pieces
Reviews
Journal or diary entries
Letters

2. First-person central point of view

First-person central point of view is a subtype of first-person POV. In this view, the narrator is also the main character in the story. This approach is common for fiction stories like “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this novel, Melinda assumes the first-person point of view and tells her story as an active participant in the plot.

3. First-person peripheral point of view

Another subtype of the first-person POV is the first-person peripheral point of view. In this view, the narrator gives a personal account of how they observe the main character’s story. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a common example of this POV. Nick Carraway is the narrator, but he tells the story of Jay Gatsby, the true main character of the novel.

4. Multiple first-person point of view

Yet another subtype of the first-person point of view is the multiple first-person POV. It shares a story or narrative through the eyes of multiple characters from their own perspectives. Typically, the narrator may change from chapter to chapter or by section to re-orient the reader to a new character’s perspective.

Each speaker refers to themselves as “I” throughout their chapters or sections and addresses other characters (even the other main characters) with “he,” “she,” or “they” pronouns. “Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen is an example of multiple first-person POVs. It switches between Bryce and Juli’s perspectives on the same events from chapter to chapter.

5. Second-person point of view

Second-person point of view speaks directly to the reader or audience. Writers choose this option to bring the reader into the story or narrative. The narrator uses the pronoun “you” to address the audience throughout a story or text. When you use the second person in a story, it helps the readers feel closer to the action and like they’re a part of the narrative.

You may notice that many of our blog posts are in second person. We like the familiarity of creating community and interacting with you one-on-one, even if we’re not face-to-face. Aside from marketing content, other types of texts that may have a second-person point of view are:

Nonfiction informational articles
Immersive or choose-your-own-adventure stories

6. Third-person point of view

Third-person point of view, sometimes called third-person objective point of view, tells a story or narrative through the eyes of an outside observer. The narrator is a neutral reporter who observes the characters and events and shares what they experience from a fly-on-the-wall perspective. The narrator uses “he,” “she,” and “they” pronouns to refer to all characters in the story.

Writing in the third person helps remove some biases that come from the first-person point of view. It can also eliminate potential persuasion that comes from a second-person POV.

The article “How Mexico got a female president before the U.S.” in our News collection is an example of a third-person objective point of view. The writer provides information from an outsider's perspective by explaining the events that led to the election. They also share quotes from relevant sources to further the narrative without interjecting their own ideas or opinions. Other genres and types of texts that use a third-person point of view include:

Fictional stories
Nonfiction informational texts
News articles
Biographies
Journal or diary entries
Letters

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7. Third-person omniscient point of view

Third-person omniscient point of view is a subtype of third-person POV. In this variation, the narrator is an all-knowing observer. They know and share all the characters’ thoughts and actions. This narrator also knows about past and future events the characters might not know about. Third-person omniscient POV gives a writer the most flexibility to share details throughout the story.

“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is an example of a story in the third-person omniscient POV. The narrator knows everything about the shipwreck, the characters, and their time on the island.

8. Third-person limited omniscient point of view

Another variation of the third-person point of view is the third-person limited omniscient POV. It’s also sometimes called third-person close POV for its proximity to one of the characters. In this view, the narrator is an all-knowing observer inside one character’s mind. They view all other characters from the outside and can’t tell what those other characters are thinking.

Unlike in the first-person POV, a third-person limited omniscient narrator may know about past and future events the character hasn’t experienced. The Harry Potter Series is an example of a third-person limited omniscient POV. The narrator speaks in the third person but only knows what Harry is thinking and doing. The reader views other characters from the outside and through Harry’s lens.

9. Fourth-person point of view

Though it’s uncommon, sometimes writers use a fourth-person or collectivist point of view when writing a text. This POV uses the pronouns ”we” and “us” to refer to the narrator and the audience as part of the same group. Narrators in this view may also use pronouns like “one,” “someone,” or “anyone” to avoid addressing characters or audience members specifically.

This point of view is so rare that it often doesn’t stand on its own and carries throughout a full text. Instead, writers may combine a fourth-person POV with the first-person POV. While this point of view is rare in fictional stories and nonfiction texts, it may appear in speeches or opinion articles where the narrator tries to unite the audience and persuade them to think collectively about a situation or idea.

For example, President Obama’s Farewell Speech, part of our Speeches collection, uses both first- and fourth-person points of view in different sections. Sometimes, he addresses his personal experiences with “I,” and other times, he talks about the nation and includes himself by saying “we.”

Frequently asked questions about point of view

Discover answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about points of view in reading and writing:

Can writers switch points of view in a text?

Authors sometimes switch points of view in a text, but it’s rare. Most use this technique to add variety or individuality to their writing. Switching POVs too often or in the wrong place can jar the audience. It also disrupts the flow of the story or muddles the clarity of the message.

If authors choose to switch points of view in a story, the best places are at the start of a new chapter or at paragraph breaks. These areas are already natural stopping points to shift from one element or idea to the next. Examples of good ways to switch points of view in a story may include:

Using multiple first-person points of view to change narrators in each chapter.
Writing a choose-your-own-adventure story in third-person omniscient POV and prompting readers in the second person at the end of a chapter to choose the next path.
Writing a story in the third-person objective point of view and interspersing short chapters or asides of first-person text messages or emails between characters.

What is the most commonly used point of view?

The most commonly used point of view depends on the genre and type of text. For fictional stories, third-person omniscient POV is popular because it gives writers the most flexibility to tell the story. Writers can share information that a single character may not know.

The third-person objective point of view is typically the most popular in nonfiction and news texts. Reporters and journalists observe events and interview key participants or witnesses to get a story. This point of view allows them to tell an unbiased account of the story based on the information they collect.

Surprisingly, the second-person point of view is most common in marketing, advertising, and content writing. Brands use it to make a connection with their audience.

What is the least commonly used point of view?

The least common point of view is typically the fourth-person point of view, followed closely by the second-person point of view. Fourth-person POV is often reserved for speeches, sermons, or opinion articles. Even then, it’s more common for writers to choose a first-person point of view and share their personal experiences rather than addressing a collective.

The second-person point of view is also fairly uncommon in fiction and news texts. Most writers want to share personal experiences or outside observations rather than ask the audience to get introspective about their own thoughts and ideas.

Why do students need to understand point of view?

Being able to identify the point of view of a text helps students understand the context of each piece. It influences the lens through which the author wrote the content and the lens through which the audience perceives it.

POV determines which characters and perspectives get the most attention and affects how those characters and the audience feel about the major plot events. It also determines whether there are any elements of persuasion and bias in the text.

Understanding the point of view also helps students with their own writing. Knowing the purpose and use of each one helps them choose the right lens and perspective for creative writing and in-school nonfiction assignments, like book reports or essays.

Is there a difference between point of view and perspective?

Yes, there is a slight difference between point of view and perspective. Point of view is how the narrator tells the story through a specific lens. Are they telling it from personal experience (first person), by immersing the audience (second person), or from an outside, objective view (third person)?

Perspective is who is narrating the story and their orientation to the world. Is it the author themself or a character in the story? The narrator's character traits, like age, gender, or all-knowing abilities, affect how they view the world and how their story comes across to the audience.

We often teach point of view and perspective together and use the terms interchangeably because both affect the lens through which the reader experiences a text.

Teach point of view with Newsela

With Newsela ELA, you can access various texts, activities, scaffolds, and resources to help you teach students about different points of view in stories. Beyond 15,000+ pieces of content across our product suite that each contain a point of view, you can take advantage of features like:

The updated ELA Standards and Skills collection that provides more resources, like interactive videos and texts, to teach about point of view and perspective.
Explainer videos on topics like understanding first-, second-, and third-person points of view that help you bring a multimedia approach to teaching literacy skills in the classroom.
Expanded search filters to help you find content that explicitly addresses and assesses students on the point of view literacy skill.
Updated reporting features that help you look at students’ progress with ease and identify classroom trends and patterns for how well your students understand each skill.

Not a Newsela customer yet? You can sign up for Newsela Lite for free and access a 45-day trial of our premium products for all content and skill-building scaffolds you need to teach about point of view in your classroom.