Point of View in Miss Brill

(by Ginanjar Wiji W., Diki Miharja)

What is Point of View?

Point of view is the vantage point from which a writer tells a story.

Kinds of Point of View

1. First person

2. Third person

a. Third person omniscient point of view

b. Third person limited point of view

As a writer, we must think strategically to choose the point of view that will allow you to most effectively develop your characters and tell your story. We may choose our story in:

1. First Person (Using “I” or “We”)

In the first point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story and it is used as a way to directly convey the deeply internal, otherwise unspoken thoughts of the narrator to the reader.

While first person point of view can allow a reader to feel very close to a specific character’s point of view and feels more personal. It also limits the reader to that one perspective. The reader can only know what this character knows.

2. Third Person (Using “He”, “She”, “It” or “name”)

In the third person point of view, here the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the character feel.

Third person point of view may be omniscient or limited.

1. Omniscient

Third person omniscient is a method of storytelling in which narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of characters in the story. Through third person omniscient, a writer may bring to life an entire world of characters.

2. Third person limited

Third person limited point of view is a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single characters, while other characters are presented only externally. Third person limited grants a writer more freedom than first person, but less than third person omniscient

Is it important for us to know about point of view?

Off course, because by using point of view we can knows the characterization, plot, event and place in stories that we read.

Analysis Point of View “Miss Brill”

• The story using the third person omniscient point of view.
• It can be seen from the physical aspect that the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel.

The narrator in the story “Miss Brill” is telling us that this story in the third person omniscient point of view, it mean that the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. As we can see, our narrator is a non-participant and we learn no details about this person. Also it is nothing to tell us whether she is a friend of Miss Brill, a relative, or just someone watching but she has a great insight into Miss Brill’s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and into her world as a whole.

By using this point of view, Miss Brill was trying to avoid loneliness by observing and drawing conclusions about the people around her. Also we can see the world through the eyes of Miss Brill. Like, the beautiful fall afternoon in France unfolds before our eyes; also we can feel the chill coming into the air and see the leaves of fall drifting to the earth. For detail information that it can made us see and hear what was happening in there. Like, the band plays their music in the park. All of the characters in the park are observed through the eyes of Miss Brill, and we can learn of information of those who catch her eye.

The figurative language that is used is great from beginning to end.