Point+of+View+Paper

__**Different Point of View**__ “Roselily” by Alice Walker From the groom’s point of view:

Here she is in front of me. I cannot wait to start off our new lives together from this marriage. How perfectly everything has turned out to be! I’m satisfied with everything except that I do not feel comfortable around her family. Maybe because I’m not a Christian. Here, I simply cannot find any place for myself where I actually feel like I am part of this group of people, so I am just impatient to leave right away and have time just to our new family.

__**Point of View Analysis on “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin**__

NICE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT STORY. I THINK YOU ARE ONLY ONE OF TWO PEOPLE WHO CHOSE THIS ONE. In “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard’s point of view is emphasized throughout the entire text even though the story is told by a narrator with a 3rd person voice. Mrs. Mallard’s perspective is clearly seen in the seemingly indifferent narration; this effect can be attributed to the suitable word choice that describes her feelings towards her aspired freedom and the descriptions of her actions in return to the news of her husband’s death. Therefore, although the story seems to carry an objective tone, the story primarily focuses on how Mrs. Mallard feels after hearing the news and what we can learn from how she reacts to this “tragedy”. GOOD CHOICE IN THE WORD SEEMS. OFTEN I CONSIDER THIS JUST A WIGGLE WORD AND TO BE AVOIDED, BUT IN THIS CASE, IF DONE DELIBERATELY, VERY NICE. First, the shift between the objective tone of the narrator and Mrs. Mallard’s point of view occurs when Mrs. Mallard hears from her sister about her husband’s death. Before detailing her emotional response to this tragic event, the story mentions how her sister, who has to deliver the news, assumes Mrs. Mallard to be shocked and depressed about her husband’s death. However, her reaction appears to be quite different from that of other women. Later on, the reader gets to see how she continues with her reaction when no one is around - she eventually finds peace in a comfortable setting: “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul” (Chopin). Here, just as the private, cozy setting depicted by words that associate with rest hints at the reader about Mrs. Mallard’s emotions at this very moment, she feels contented and relaxed after mourning for her husband’s death in a somewhat dutiful manner. Secondly, Mrs. Mallard’s point of view explains her deviant reactions by revealing the past years of her marriage with her husband. The subordinate nature of her life during this marriage is indicated in many places, thus allowing us to empathize with her situation and share the longing for freedom, which she appreciates due to this tragic event. Her dissatisfaction with the past and appreciation of her future life are found in the following quotes: “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin); “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (Chopin); “‘Free! Body and soul free!’ she kept whispering” (Chopin). Lastly, the reader is able to sense the extreme joy through Mrs. Mallard’s excitement for the future and confidence about her guaranteed happiness and freedom. Her vision of the coming years and excitement about her husband’s defeat also add to the overall jubilant tone of the story. For instance, she quickly recovers from repression and submissive life of the past because she now knows that “spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own” (Chopin). She also displays “a feverish triumph in her eyes” (Chopin) and conducts “herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” (Chopin). IT ISN'T REALLY CLEAR HOW THE THIRD PERSON POV CREATED THIS. IT JUST SEEMS TO BE PART OF THE STORY. MAYBE ONE MORE SENTENCE TO MAKE THE CONNECTION CLEAR. Thus, from all these quotes that exemplify Mrs. Mallard’s aspiration toward independence and freedom, one can clearly see how a character’s point of view can shape and lead the story in different ways depending on what he or she feels about certain things addressed in the story as the topic is introduced.

Comment: I liked how you separated your points into first, second, third. I liked how you wrote concisely and supported your points with strong quotations. ME TOO. 10/10

“The Story of An Hour”. http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/. .
 * Note: I could not find the date on which this website page was published!