High school writing tutors help guide students analysis of point of view in a piece of fiction.

Understanding point of view is essential for developing strong literary analysis skills. Point of view determines not only who is telling the story but also how much the reader knows and how that information is framed. For high school students learning to read and write about literature critically, analyzing the narrator's perspective helps reveal the author’s intentions, the reliability of the information presented, and the way readers are guided to interpret characters and events. By studying different points of view—such as first-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient—students begin to understand how each form influences the structure and impact of a story. Supporting students in this kind of analysis requires deliberate strategies, especially from high school writing tutors who can help students move beyond basic identification toward more nuanced engagement with the text.

In first-person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story, often the protagonist, who tells the events from their own perspective using pronouns like “I” or “we.” This POV creates a direct connection between the narrator and the reader, allowing access to the character’s inner thoughts, feelings, and biases. However, it also limits the scope of the story because the reader only knows what the narrator knows. Students analyzing a first-person narrative should consider how the narrator’s personality, background, and limitations shape the storytelling. They might ask whether the narrator is reliable or if their perspective leaves out crucial parts of the story.

In contrast, third-person limited narration sticks closely to one character, offering insight into that character’s thoughts and experiences while maintaining a bit of distance. The story is still told using “he,” “she,” or “they,” but the reader only gets internal access to one character. This can create a focused yet still somewhat objective tone. Students can explore how this limited view influences their sympathies or judgments. For example, does the limited perspective encourage us to identify with a character more than we might if we had full access to everyone’s thoughts?

Third-person omniscient narration allows the narrator to know and reveal everything about every character and event. This type of narration can provide a broader, more comprehensive understanding of the story and themes, especially when it comes to complex plots or moral dilemmas. It can shift from one character’s internal thoughts to another’s, showing different angles of the same event. High schoolers should consider how this type of narration affects their understanding of the story as a whole and whether it helps illuminate the author’s intended message more clearly.

When working with high school students, writing tutors can play a crucial role in guiding them to think more critically about point of view by helping students make connections between narrative voice and their understanding of the story. One effective strategy tutors can use is to ask students to reimagine a scene from another character’s perspective. For instance, if a story is told in the first person by the protagonist, a tutor might ask, “How would this scene change if it were told by a secondary character—or even the antagonist?” This exercise not only helps students consider the limitations and biases of the narrator, but also opens up space to explore the author’s intent in choosing a particular narrative voice.

Another useful approach is to slow down and analyze the language the narrator uses. Tutors can guide students to notice tone, diction, and emotional cues, asking questions like, “What kind of relationship does the narrator seem to have with the reader?” or “How does the narrator’s word choice influence our perception of the events or other characters?” This kind of language-focused analysis encourages students to move beyond simply identifying point of view and start thinking about how it functions on a deeper, more nuanced level.

Tutors might also introduce comparative reading as a strategy. By presenting two short passages from different works—or even two narrators within the same novel, if applicable—students can analyze how the use of point of view affects the storyt. Comparing a first-person narrative to a third-person omniscient one, for example, can lead students to recognize how access to characters’ thoughts or the withholding of information creates tension, builds characters, and shapes the story’s themes. The tutor can support this by prompting students with targeted questions such as, “Who do you trust more in these narratives, and why?” or “Which narrator gives you a fuller understanding of the story world?” Especially in stories where the narrator may be biased, naive, or deceptive, this becomes a critical part of the analysis. A tutor might introduce the idea of the “unreliable narrator” and ask students to find textual evidence that supports or challenges the narrator’s credibility. This practice not only sharpens critical thinking but also invites students to participate more actively in interpreting the text rather than passively accepting the narrative.

Point of view is a central narrative choice that determines the scope, tone, and interpretation of a literary work. For high school students, learning to analyze this element requires practice, guidance, and strategic support. Writing tutors can help students approach point of view as a tool for uncovering meaning by encouraging alternative perspectives, analyzing language, facilitating comparisons across texts, and questioning narrator reliability. Through these strategies, students become more critical and independent readers, able to articulate how narrative choices influence the way stories are told and understood. Developing this skill not only enhances literary analysis but also strengthens students’ overall reading comprehension and analytical writing.