Student Question
What is the point of view in "The Devil and Daniel Webster"?
Quick answer:
The point of view in "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is omniscient. This means the narrator is outside of the story and has access to the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of multiple characters, rather than focusing on just one. The narrator, therefore, provides a comprehensive understanding of the events and characters involved, offering a god-like perspective from which the story is told.
When we think about narration and point of view, there are three possible options. Firstly we can have the first person point of view, which is easily identifiable because the story is told in the first person (using "I") from the point of view of one of the characters who is actually in the story and part of the action. Secondly, we can have an omniscient point of view, which means that the narrator literally "knows everything" and assumes a god-like position from outside the story, looking in and having access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of all characters. Lastly, and sometimes this is point of view is difficult to identify, we have the third person limited point of view, which is told by an impersonal narrator again who is outside of the story, but one who follows the action from the point of view of one character alone....
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Therefore we have access to the thoughts and feelings of one character alone, rather than the omniscient point of view, which gives us access to all characters.
Considering this great story, then, that from the beginning we are told the story using an omniscient point of view. The narrator clearly is outside of the tale, reporting to us what he has heard, and we have access to a number of different characters rather than just one.