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Comparing Point of View in Recitatif and Richard Cory The point of view used in a story can greatly impact how the story is told, as well as the plot and the turn of events that happens throughout a literary work. The point of view is defined as “the perspective from which people, events and other details in a work of fiction are viewed; also called focus or voice” (Mays, A9). Fictional literary works can be told in first person, second person or third person, with first or third person sometimes being limited. First or third person limited means that the reader only knows the immediate thoughts, emotions and experiences of the narrator, not any other character portrayed in the story. The point of view, whether first person, first person limited, second person, third person or third person limited can greatly affect how a story is interpreted as well as the plot. The short story Recitatif by Toni Morrison explores the life of two young girls, Twyla and Roberta, and the journey from orphans sharing a bedroom, to adults that reconnect later in life. The story depicts both Roberta and Twyla’s lives with the story being told in first person limited from the point of view of Twyla. The friendship of the two goes through its ups and downs, with a significant event that harms their friendship for an unknown amount of years. The poem Richard Cory by Edward Arlington Robinson is a short literary work told in first person plural by an unnamed character. The unnamed narrator is a citizen among a population, all of whom admire a gentleman named Richard Cory. The population aspires to be like Cory, until one night he suddenly takes his own life. Both the poem and the short story are told in the first person point of view. Although both Recitatif and Richard Cory are told in first person by Twyla and an unnamed citizen, neither of the two are the main characters of each respective work. From Twyla’s perspective, the main character of her story is Roberta, while the main character in the unnamed citizen’s eyes is

Richard Cory. Twyla nor the reader knows the emotions, thoughts or feelings of Roberta, however more time is spent on the interactions between Roberta and Twyla than important events in Twyla’s life like her wedding and the birth of her child. In Richard Cory, the narrator is not even given a name, let alone a description of himself or any background information of himself. However, Richard Cory is described in heavy detail, and the entire poem focuses on how the citizens see him until his demise. Although the first person point of view focuses on the emotions of the narrator, both the short story and poem focus on a different character that greatly affects the narrator in some way. In Recitatif, the first four pages are dedicated to the story of Roberta and Twyla’s friendship, while only one paragraph is dedicated to Twyla’s life after disconnecting with Roberta, including important life events like marriage and parenthood. Although Twyla’s story focuses mainly on Roberta, Twyla has no access to Roberta’s immediate thoughts or emotions. In Richard Cory, the people of the town have no access to Richard Cory’s immediate thoughts. By the last two lines of the poem, “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head” (Cory, 703), it is shown that the issues of Richard Cory are unknown to the people who admire him most. While he is the main character of the poem, the first person plural point of view from the eyes of the narrator does not give any clues to the sudden turn of events that occur during the final stanza. Although both the short story and the poem are told in the same point of view, the differing genres create a contrast between the two literary works. In Recitatif, the short story detailed the ups and downs of the relationship of Twyla and Roberta.as well as how each character recalled the event surrounding Maggie. Both Twyla and Roberta recall their interaction with Maggie in different ways, however since the story is only told from Twyla’s point of view,

only her side of the story is known to the reader. If the story was told in third person, however, the reader would be able to know both Roberta, Twyla and even Maggie’s point of view of what happened during the incident of Maggie being assaulted. In Richard Cory, since it is a short poem, only few details are given surrounding the relationship between Cory and the people of the town, like “And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, “Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked” (Cory 703). The poem has no direct dialogue between the narrator and Richard Cory and does not go into extensive detail about the relationship between the two characters. With Recitatif being told in first person limited, the reader only knows Twyla’s opinions on Roberta as a person, as well as her view of their relationship throughout the years. The poem Richard Cory is told in the first person plural point of view, which shows not only the thoughts of the immediate narrator but also the thoughts of other characters involved in the story which is not the case in Recitatif. The point of view from multiple people who have interacted with him helps to make the image of Richard Cory even greater and preeminent. The point of view of first person plural gives insight to the opinions and emotions of various characters in the literary work which shapes how the story is told in ways that first person limited does not. The point of view chosen for a literary work is significant for many reasons. The first person point of view allows the reader to know the feelings of the narrator, however, they are not able to know the feelings or thoughts of any other character unless they are verbally expressed to the narrator. This point of view allows the reader to have direct interaction with the narrator in a way that second person point of view or third person point of view does not. When an author uses second person point of view, the author is directly connecting to the reader by placing them in the given story. While the reader can relate to the story, they miss out on feelings and thoughts

from other characters involved. While stories told in second person point of view are rare, they are a way to make the reader feel connected to the author and others involved in a fictional work. Literary works told in third person point of view are one of the most common types, where the reader has access to the thoughts, feelings and inner dialogue of many characters throughout the story. Stories told in third person point of view give the reader a more detailed look at the story, and how the thoughts and actions of multiple characters affect the plot. However, the reader will not have a direct connection to the thoughts of one main character or narrator. Different point of views introduce different perspectives for the reader. Each of these perspectives provides a new way to interpret a plot, which allows the reader to enjoy the story in a variety of ways.

Works Cited Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. W.W. Norton & Company, 2017. Morrison, Toni (, and Doris ( Lessing. Recitatif. W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. Robinson, Edwin Arlington. Richard Cory. W.W. Norton & Company. 1897...