Narrative Essays

What is a narrative essay?

When writing a narrative essay, one might think of it as telling a story. These essays are often
anecdotal, experiential, and personal—allowing students to express themselves in a creative and,
quite often, moving ways.
Here are some guidelines for writing a narrative essay.

 If written as a story, the essay should include all the parts of a story.

This means that you must include an introduction, plot, characters, setting, climax, and
conclusion.

 When would a narrative essay not be written as a story?

A good example of this is when an instructor asks a student to write a book report. Obviously,
this would not necessarily follow the pattern of a story and would focus on providing an
informative narrative for the reader.

 The essay should have a purpose.

Make a point! Think of this as the thesis of your story. If there is no point to what you are
narrating, why narrate it at all? Find a generalization, which the story supports. This is the only
way the writer's personal experience will take on meaning for readers. This generalization does
not have to encompass humanity as a whole; it can concern the writer, men, women, or children
of various ages and backgrounds.

 The essay should be written from a clear point of view.

It is quite common for narrative essays to be written from the standpoint of the author; however,
this is not the sole perspective to be considered. Creativity in narrative essays oftentimes
manifests itself in the form of authorial perspective.

 Use clear and concise language throughout the essay.

Much like the descriptive essay, narrative essays are effective when the language is carefully,
particularly, and artfully chosen. Use specific language to evoke specific emotions and senses in
the reader.

 The use of the first person pronoun ‘I’ is welcomed.

Do not abuse this guideline! Though it is welcomed it is not necessary—nor should it be

overused for lack of clearer diction.

 As always, be organized!

Have a clear introduction that sets the tone for the remainder of the essay. Do not leave the
reader guessing about the purpose of your narrative. Remember, you are in control of the essay,
so guide it where you desire (just make sure your audience can follow your lead).

Conventions of Narrative Essays

In writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in mind.

 Narratives are generally written in the first person, that is, using I. However, third person
(he, she, or it) can also be used.
 Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to convey their point. These details should
create a unified, forceful effect, a dominant impression. More information on the use of
specific details is available on another page.
 Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions: a plot, including setting
and characters; a climax; and an ending.

Narrative Points of View

When we think of point of view in the general sense, we tend to think about someone’s attitude
or opinion of things: their likes or dislikes, their focus, their idea of the world. Point of view is
unique, right? After all, everyone has their own perspective on things.

When talking about literary or narrative point of view, though, there aren’t nearly as many
options. In fact, there are only five different types of narrative point of view:

 first-person
 second-person
 third-person omniscient
 third-person limited
 third-person objective
These points of view aren’t as unique, but they can be helpful in creating different effects in
works of literature. We’ve broken down the five main types of narrative points of view for you.
It’s amazing the thousands of stories authors can create with just these options.

When to use first-person point of view

First-person point of view is when the story is told from an individual point of view describing
something that is happening to them. The key pronouns for first-person point of view are:

 I
 me
 my
Some popular books written in first-person point of view are the Hunger Games series, To Kill a
Mockingbird, and Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Here are a few examples of first-person narration:

 On my way to the grocery store, I saw a lone glove lying in the snowbank. Wondering if it
belonged to someone nearby, I picked it up and put it in my pocket.
 I felt the track underneath my feet. It was dry and rocky. I could hear the crowd cheering. I
was going to win!
 My friends were all down by the river by the time I turned up with my fishing rod and a
bucket. They teased me for always being the last one to arrive.

As you can see from these examples, first-person narration helps the reader relate to the
character. As the reader, you become aware of everything happening in the story from the
character’s perspective. It’s a powerful approach, but it can be limiting if you are trying to build
a big world, like in science fiction or epics.

When to use second-person point of view

Second-person point of view is all about you. What we mean is that second-person point of view

is a narrative that is told from the reader’s point of view.
The key pronouns for second-person point of view are:

 you
 your
It’s generally considered a no-no to write a novel in only second-person point of view. More
often, poetry or short stories might include bits of second-person point of view. Just to be clear,
second-person point of view isn’t the same thing as when the author addresses the reader
directly. It’s when you, the reader, seem to become part of the story. You know, like those old
Choose Your Own Adventure books we all read.
Here are a few examples of second-person narrative:

 You walked to the corner, where you heard a telephone ringing in the phone booth. When you
picked up the phone, there was no one on the other line.
 You always wanted to win the lottery, but you never thought it would really happen!
 There is something scary about the abandoned amusement park. Do you choose to enter
anyway?

Just like the first-person perspective, second-person perspective can create a story that seems
more intimate to the reader. It really puts them into the story. Second-person perspective can also
create an uncanny, almost alienating, effect.

When to use third-person point of view

Writing in third person is writing from the third-person point of view, or outsider looking in.
Writing in the third-person provides flexibility and objectivity.
The key pronouns for third-person point of view are:

 they
 them
 their
 he/she/it
 his/hers/theirs
There are three different third-person points of view. We are going to start with the most
common one, third-person omniscient.

Third-person omniscient
Omniscient is a fancy word that means “all-knowing.” So, third-person omniscient point of view
means that the narrative is told from the perspective of a narrator who knows the thoughts and
feelings of many characters in the story. Sometimes, third-person omniscient point of view will
include the narrator telling the story from multiple characters’ perspectives. Popular examples of
third-person omniscient point of view are Middlemarch, Anna Karenina, and The Scarlet Letter.
Here are a couple examples of third-person omniscient narration:

 Darcy danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being
introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room,
speaking occasionally to one of his own party. His character was decided. He was the
proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never
come there again. (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, 1813)
 Having ridden to the village of Pratz, [Kutuzov] halted … Prince Andrei felt excited, irritated,
and at the same time restrainedly calm, as a man usually is when a long-desired moment
comes. He was firmly convinced that this was the day of his Toulon or his bridge of Arcole.
 (War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy, 1869, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky,
2008)
Third-person omniscient narration is common because it is the most versatile of the types of
narrative point of view. It can show characters’ intimate feelings and create large, complex
worlds.

Third-person limited

While being omniscient, or all-knowing, can be pretty cool, there is something to be said for
third-person limited point of view. Third-person omniscient shows us what many characters in
the story are thinking and feeling; third-person limited point of view sticks closely
to one character in the story.

Using third-person limited point of view doesn’t mean you tell the story entirely from the one
character’s perspective using I. That would make it first-person point of view. Third-person
limited point of view can be more useful than the first-person point of view because you aren’t
trapped in the character’s head. You can show both how they feel and what’s going on around
them.
This might seem a little confusing, but you probably are already familiar with at least one series
of novels that relies on third-person limited point of view: Harry Potter. In the series, most
events are told from what Harry Potter sees, feels, and experiences. Otherwise, we would have
known the whole time that Snape wasn’t entirely such a bad guy.

Third-person limited point of view is useful when you want to deeply develop a reader’s
relationship with one character. It can also be used to generate suspense by keeping a reader
from knowing what other characters in the story know. Here are a couple of examples of third-
person limited point of view:

 Jessie saw that Margaret was sobbing. The tears ran down her cheeks. He had no idea why
she was so upset.
 The whole softball team was already on the bus when Max arrived. She was embarrassed and
being late, she couldn’t find a seat. “Oh great,” she thought to herself. “Now everyone is
going to know what a loser I am.”
Some other popular examples of third-person limited narration are The Giver and 1984.

Third-person objective

Both third-person omniscient and third-person limited points of view work to give you a certain
insight into or empathy with a character or characters. The writer wants you to feel a certain way
about them: she wants you to like them, or hate them, or trust them.

Third-person objective point of view reduces the coloring that the writer puts into the narrative.
Instead of creating a story in which the reader knows everything about what the characters think
and feel, third-person objective point of view tells the story from the perspective of a total
outsider. The reader has to judge the characters by their action and dialogue alone.

 The couple sat on the park bench, barely moving. They weren’t holding hands. The crickets
chirped around them as they sat in the gathering darkness.
 Samuel took out a knife and the peanut butter. He spread the cream all over a piece of bread
on the counter. There was no one else around.
Third-person objective point of view creates distance between the reader and the characters. It
can also add an air of mystery.

A well-known example of third-person objective is the short story “Hills Like White Elephants”
by Ernest Hemingway.

Can you alternate points of view?

There might be only five different kinds of narrative point of view, but that doesn’t mean authors
are limited. There’s no rule that says you have to stick to only one point of view when you are
writing.

Authors can switch between different points of view in a single story. Why might they do that?
Well, as you have seen, different points of view create different effects for the reader. It all
depends on what you’re writing about.

Point to remember- Narration is not merely description, it is different from descriptive writing;
in the sense that a narrative is written from a definite point of view. You have witnessed a
particular incident and you are asked to write about it. If you are simply describing the incident,
then it is descriptive writing. But if you are writing a narrative, then you need to relate the
incident from a particular point of view. Suppose the incident that you witnessed is a road
accident. When you are narrating the incident, then you can take a perspective in terms of the
urgency which makes people violate the traffic rules. Or you can take a perspective of how rash
driving was the cause of the accident. It may also be that one of the drivers had a family problem
and he was mentally disturbed while driving. When the writer takes a perspective and writes
from that point of view then reader gets involved in the narrative through that perspective.

Here’s an example that would clarify the difference between the narrative and descriptive
writing.

Description of an Accident
A Santro car and an auto rickshaw at the Deepali Chowk traffic light when the speeding car
disobeyed the red light and took a right turn. It hit the auto rickshaw and the two passengers of
the auto rickshaw were thrown out of the vehicle. One of the passenger’s head hit the footpath
badly and he is now in a comatose state at Max Hospital. Doctors are of the view that he is in a
critical state and nothing can be said till he regains consciousness; while the other passenger and
the driver of the auto rickshaw were discharged after first aid. The driver of the car has been
taken to the police custody and is awaiting trial.

The same accident narrated

A young woman and her little girl are sitting in a bench at Max Hospital holding each other with
tears rolling down their cheeks waiting for the doctors to come and tell them whether the
woman’s husband and little girl’s father is out of danger. All three of them had a n ice breakfast
today morning and left for the little girl’s school where a parent-teacher meeting was scheduled.
After the meeting the little girl stayed back in the school and the parents took an auto rickshaw to
head back home. Instead of reaching home, the father went into coma as a speeding Santro car
hit the auto-rickshaw in which the husband and wife were travelling.

The incident happened at Pitampura traffic junction which is just five meters away from their
home. The young woman is sitting on the hospital bench with the hope that her husband would
soon be able to go home. She has been informed by the auto-rickshaw driver that driver of the
car has been arrested, but it doesn’t matter to her. She just wants her husband to recover from
coma. She thinks that if her husband walks home with her and their daughter, she will withdraw
the case against the driver.

As you may have noted that the first paragraph is descriptive s it provides the details about how
the accident happened. Whereas in the second paragraph, the incident is described from the
perspective of the woman who was also a passenger and is wife of the other victim who is in
coma. The narrative, as being told from a particular point of view, creates a sense of sympathy
for the young woman.