FIRST PERSON OF VIEW DEFINITION AND EXAMPLES IN NOVEL

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There are so many examples of first person point of view in novel writing that are very interesting to study. As a writer, you must be familiar with using this kind of firstperson point of view, right?

As a point of view in story writing, first person has some uniqueness that other points of view may not have. Readers who enter the story from a first-person perspective will find the world of the story exactly as the main character sees it.

So, what are some examples of the first person point of view in the story and what is the comprehensive meaning?

Examples of First Person Point of View and Its Meaning in Stories

In writing fiction or non-fiction, point of view is an element that cannot be abandoned.

The better you understand the point of view of a novel or short story as a writer, the greater your chances of crafting a story that is stronger and touches the reader's emotions.

Before discussing examples of the main character's first person point of view in a story, let's refresh definition of point of view first.

So, what is the point of view in the story?

Definition of Point of View

In general, point of view is the way the author positions himself in the story he writes. Besides the first person point of view, you must have heard the terms second person, third person and their derivatives, right?

In simple terms, point of view is about how a writer places himself in the story.

Point of view is closely related to storytelling techniques because it is central to how the author presents the author's visions from the perspective of the characters he tells.

Judging from its function, point of view is a very important element of fiction and has a big role for success in writing novels or short stories. A great writer should be able to choose the best point of view like what he can use in writing a story topic.

Types of First Person Point of View

In the previous article, www.penulisgunung.id has fully reviewed the types of points of view in the story. Examples of second person point of view, examples of third person point of view and the like you can find in the article. You can see the link to the article itself here.

Well, in this article, I will invite you to focus only on the first person point of view. So, let's forget about the other point of view for a moment, shall we?

The first person point of view itself has two of the most common types, namely;

1.      Single actor first person point of view.

2.      The first person point of view of the plural actor.

In the explanation later, you can also see that the single actor's first person point of view can also be further divided into two, namely;

a.      Single first person point of view where the author is the main character of the story. and,

b.      Single first person point of view where the author is not the main character in the story.

To make it clearer, let me invite you to discuss them one by one.

Single First Person Point Of View

The singular first person point of view is when the author or author places himself as the actor in the story.

So, the writer here also acts as an actor in the story he writes.

Generally in the first person singular point of view the author will use the narrator as "I" or "me" as his way of telling the story. You can certainly identify this type of point of view easily, right?

As previously stated, the first person singular point of view is divided into two parts, namely; The author as "I" the main character, and the author as "I" is not the main character.

Single First Person Point of View as the Main Character in the Story

In “I” as the main character, the writer will share stories about himself, his actions and the events around him to the readers.

Novel readers who use the first person point of view "I" as the protagonist of the story, will receive a description of the story based on what is seen, heard, smelled, felt, and assumed by the author who acts as the main character and center of the story.

You need to remember that the point of view of "I" as the main character has limitations that you should understand.

The point of view "I" as the main character cannot express the thoughts and feelings of other characters in the story except for mere conjectures and estimates.

In general writing, the first person point of view is also referred to as the first point of view. Storytelling using this point of view has both advantages and disadvantages.

As the main character in the story, you can really blend in conveying the integrity of the storyline subjectively.

That is one of the attractive advantages.

Example of a Single First Person Point of View as a Main Character

I don't know how many times I have set my foot on this cliff. Since I was accepted as a member of Mapala Cakra Rimba at my campus, this cliff is my favorite place. From campus, the location of this cliff is not far from my boarding house. Even if I'm excited to run in the morning, I can reach this cliff location in 3 hours by jogging. Tired indeed, but what this cliff has will make me quickly forget my tiredness.

Another example from the point of view of "I" as the main character can also be seen from the point of view of the novel Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk or the point of view of the novel Bumi Manusia by Pramoedya Ananta Toer.

First Person Point of View Single Actor Not the Main Character

In this novel's point of view, "I" will act as a witness, as a lover, as a friend, or as someone who has a close relationship with the main character being told.

So, the center of the story of the main character will be conveyed to the reader based on what is felt by "I" who can act as his friend, best friend, child, and so on.

This kind of storytelling style is almost similar to the third point of view in a novel or short story, except that “I” is also involved in the story here.

This point of view also has limitations in expressing the main character's thoughts and feelings. All actions and actions of the main character of the story are interpreted based on the observation of "I" as that point of view.

Examples of Side Actors First Person Point of View

I've almost died three times since I decided to stay with him. First, when a group of people tried to intercept us fully armed in 2007, not far from the city of Bogor. Then I also almost ran out of breath while accompanying him to the interior of Papua where some paid people tried to shoot at the car we were traveling in. And third today, when two individuals identified as accomplices of Mossad agents fired nearly ten shots at us. What have I learned from all this incident? I only saw his enthusiasm and determination just getting hotter. Never intend to back down in the slightest.

In addition to the free story as above, an example of a side actor's first person point of view can also be seen, for example in the point of view of the 1990 novel Dilan which tells the story from Milea's point of view.

Or vice versa in Milea's novel, Suara Dari Dilan, which tells the story from Dilan's own point of view.

Once again, when viewed from the narrative that is generally constructed, the first person point of view, whether he is the main actor or he is a side actor, always gets an interesting subjective narrative.

In this kind of narrative you can say whatever you want on behalf of the character directly. This is of course, for example, if you compare it using the third-person singular point of view.

Plural First Person Point of View

The second type of first person point of view which is also commonly used in writing novels or short stories is the plural first person point of view.

Here, the author represents several people as the main actors in the story. The pronoun that is commonly used in writing from this point of view is “We”.

Now, the "we" used in this point of view can represent the entity of many story characters or groups. You can use “We” as a representative to express study groups, campus teams, religious entities, beliefs, politics and so on.

Example of First Person Plural Point of View

After almost a month had passed after the deal, we couldn't take it anymore. Our patience has run out, the wells we used to draw water for drinking and washing have completely dried up. Or if it is not dry, the water is shallow and cloudy, sometimes it also has a bad smell. This is really a nightmare, five years before our village was fine. We even used to irrigate the pond in front of our house with abundant water. But everything has changed in the past year, since the encroaching company cleared the forests above our village.

First and third person points of view are perhaps the most widely used examples of how to tell a story.

But again, if you want more freedom to convey the subjectivity of your thoughts through the characters in the story, then the first person point of view can be easier for you to consider.