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First Person Point of View
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One of the chief defining features of a narrative or memoir is that it is almost always told
from the first person point of view. As readers, we can assume that the narrator is,
in fact, the author. This is much different from poetry or fiction, in which the speaker or
Narrative
narrator is a persona of the writer; an “I” in a short story is rarely considered to be the
author. In the case of Samuel Autman’s piece, when we read the first sentence — “As
the teenager stepped through the first set of automatic doors at Target, I was entering
from the parking lot.” — we understand that Autman is talking about himself.
Also, almost without exception, the writer is the protagonist of the narrative. In
other words, the writer is the most prominent character in the narrative whose actions
or inactions drive the events of the story.

Characterization
A significant goal of a narrative is to reveal what kind of person the author is or was at
the time of the action. The methods writers use to develop characters can generally be
broken down into two categories: direct characterization and indirect characterization.
Through direct characterization, writers tell us what they are like — how they look or
act. Through indirect characterization, authors reveal information about themselves
through actions, thoughts, dialogue, or comments made by other figures in the
narrative. Indirect characterization is a bit more subtle than direct characterization
because it lets readers draw their own conclusions based on the details provided.
Most narrative writers use both techniques.
Take a look at the following examples of characterization from “Mother’s Tongue.”

Direct Characterization Indirect Characterization
In the summer of 1980, right before I turned For weeks my Uncle Tan and I . . . practiced
fourteen, I stretched up to a gangly six-feet. stealing, dribbling and slam-dunking an orange
The world expected this body to have a certain ball. “Now, let’s me show you how to do this
agility with a basketball. again,” he would say over and over.

The example on the left is direct characterization because it describes the narrator. The
example on the right is indirect characterization because, rather than writing “I was
not interested in my uncle’s lessons,” the narrator reveals his lack of interest through is
uncle’s exasperation (“let’s me show you how to do this again”).
Effective narratives tend to focus on the characterization of their protagonist, the
narrator, more than any other character. That’s partly because the narrator is the main
character, but it’s also because the connection between the reader and the narrator is of
paramount importance. The job of the writer is to make the reader care about the situations
and conflicts the narrator faces. Ultimately, that is the goal of characterization in a narrative:
to create a character that we care about. Regardless of whether we like or dislike the
protagonist, the writer wants us to feel invested in what happens to that character.

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Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample.
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.

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