Having read the first three chapters of the novel, you will pause here to consider the narrative perspective. You will be able to identify the different types of narrative POV in literature and articulate the unique features of each.
Step 1: Notes
TYPES OF NARRATOR:
»» The narrator is the person who relates the events of a story to a reader or audience. It is the lens through which the reader views the story and characters.
»» Three main types of narrators:
◊ First Person: The narrator is a character in the story – uses the first person “I” to tell the story.
◊ Third Person Limited: The narrator does not participate in the action of the story – relates the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
◊ Third Person Omniscient: The "all-knowing" narrator does not participate in the action of the story, however, does relate the thoughts and feelings of many different characters.
Discussion:
»» Animal Farm is told from the third person omniscient point of view, which allows the reader to see into the minds of characters and gain a better understanding of their true opinions of the happenings of Animal Farm. The narrator is a voice that has no part in the story and tells the story of Animal Farmobjectively.
»» As a result, the reader is able to understand the true situation throughout the story, even while the animals have a limited view and/or do not understand what is happening.
»» One of the successful aspects of Animal Farm is the neutral tone of the (mostly) unbiased narrator. The narrator rarely makes judgments; they rarely take sides. The narrator mostly reports the events as one would report the news.
»» This objectivity leaves readers to make their own judgments, yet the way the plot is constructed, it is clear that readers should ultimately see the point Orwell is trying to put across, without the narrator making assertions or stating opinions.