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The Point in Point of View

In: English and Literature

Submitted By kbest13
Words 761
Pages 4
The use of point of view is what allows authors to paint a descriptive and always evolving story line through the use of words. It gives the reader the keys to unlock their imagination and let their mind run wild with possibilities. An example of two different narrative styles can be seen in Margaret Atwood’s “Death by Landscape” and Richard Ford’s “Great Falls”. Using completely opposite methods to convey their stories these authors achieve a very similar effect on the reader. These methods include: foreshadowing, mystery, and highlighting the protagonist characteristics’. Both stories leave the reader with a feeling of empathy and a burning desire to know the truth.
“Death by Landscape” is a handcrafted masterpiece written in third-person, about a young girl named Lois. Atwood however, takes it one step further in that of limited omniscience. By doing this, both the reader and Lois have the same feelings and reactions to Lucy’s disappearance. She “stepped sideways, and disappeared from time.” (Atwood, 35) The mystery and lack of closure that surrounds Lois also surrounds the reader. The same can be said for Ford’s “Great Falls”, who portrays the narrator as a young boy named Jackie. Ford does something unique by using Jackie as a distant narrator. He doesn’t want to know what is going on despite knowing something is wrong. “I have never known the answer to these questions, have never asked anyone their answers.” (Ford, 575) Although they use different styles of composition both leave the reader on a pursuit for answers.
A second device both authors implement is foreshadowing. Ford does this in the opening sentence of the story. “This is not a happy story. I warn you.” (Ford, 564) That one line immediately engages the reader and the desire to know more stems from there. He also uses this strategy later on in the story to foreshadow the events that are about to

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