Point of view
In “The Lottery,” Jackson utilizes the third-person objective to narrate his story. On the other hand, Moore uses limited third-person to tell his narrative in “A Kids’ Guide to Divorce.” In The Lottery, Jackson uses past tense while Moore uses future tense in his story. I think Jackson uses the third-person objective point of view to generate distance between the characters and audience in his narrative. Therefore, the narrator can jump from one aspect to another (Bethea, 20). The readers can listen in different conversations as though they are snooping on everyone. Considering that the storyteller is only able to eavesdrop on people, it is appropriate to use the third person objective narration. If, for instance, the third-person omniscient point of view was used, the narrator would be privy to the inner thoughts of characters. However, the storyteller of “The Lottery” does not show that knowledge. If the audience understood the feelings of the characters, the last shocking instants of the narrative would not have been as surprising.
In Moore’s story, third-person limited has been used since it is only the narrator who understands the feelings of the mom. She is the only character who is followed tightly all through the story, and she is the main character. The narrator sticks with her, and he is privy to her feelings and thoughts while still observing all things and people around her in every scene. This point of view gives the author freedom than other points of view, like the first person (Bethea, 21). From the first-person point of view, the author has to use “I.” Therefore, each time it is seen through the eyes of the character. Historical information regarding other characters cannot be shared except in a situation where the main character acquires it firsthand since they observe everything through their eyes. On the other hand, third-person limited enables the sharing of information as every character is discussed as though they are being discriminated by the reader rather than being observed through the eyes of the main character. In my work, I can use either the first-person point of view or a third-person point of view. I might use the point of view to develop my characters and tell my narrative effectively (Kennedy, 16). The first person point of view has the advantage of connecting the writer with the reader. However, the writer is only limited to one perspective. On the other hand, the third person viewpoint is advantageous since the writer can write from a broader perspective.
Nevertheless, it can be hard to develop a connection between the writer and the reader. Even though the first-person viewpoint is easier to use, the third person best suits my fiction since it will enable me to view my story more impassively. Also, I will tell it more effectively, and it might direct me to where I had not considered.