Effectiveness Of Point Of View

Through the use of first-person point of view, authors Alice Munro and William Faulkner achieve contrasting effects.

I. Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband"

A. Cite character who tells story

B. Cite position from which story is told

C. Cite the effects the position has on the reader

II. William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"

A. Cite character who tells the story

B. Cite the position from which the story is told

C. Cite the effects that the position has on the reader

III. Compare and Contrast the Effects

A. "How I Met My Husband"

B. "A Rose for Emily"

IV. Vantage Points

A. What is missing due to the position from which the story is told

Conclusion

When a story is told from first-person point of view, the author fades away into one of the characters. The character telling the story may be major or minor, protagonist or observer. The position from which the story is told makes a considerable difference on the thoughts of the reader. Through the use of first person point of view, authors Alice Munro and William Faulkner achieve contrasting effects.

In Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband," the story is told as a reminiscence of the main character, Edie. Edie, the protagonist, spends what seems to be a life time waiting on a letter from a lover who promised to write. Though it appears that Edie's love life is in abeyance, we soon learn that she has a secret admirer, the mailman. The reader learns of Edie's impatience when she states the "no letter was ever going to come." Edie's impatience made her vulnerable. Her admirer seems to use her vulnerability to his advantage by phoning her and asking her out on a date. To the reader's surprise, this one date leads to marriage.

William Faulkner also uses first-person point of view in his short story, "A Rose for Emily." The picture of Emily's life is depicted for the reader through the eyes of the townspeople. The viewpoint of the townspeople is limited because they do not know everything about Emily. Due to this the reader is left with a mystifying sentiment in regard to Emily's life and home.

After the completion of the short stories, the reader is left with mixed emotions concerning them both. Munro's story left me believing that the mailman was the hindrance between Edie and Chris, her lover. It is possible that he wanted her so badly that he did not deliver the letter, thus causing her impatience. Likewise, in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the reader is left to contemplate whether Emily was psychotic or misunderstood. The reader can assume that she was criticized as being conceited due to her actions, but, the reader would fail to give recognition to the overprotectiveness