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February 03, 2006
Point of View - roberts says its hard and its is
Fitzgerald, ''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'' (1920) -- Jerz:
American Lit II (EL 267)
"At eighteen our convictions are hills from which we look; at forty-five they are caves in which we hide."
After reading "Bernice Bobs Her Hair", my initial instict is to say point of view is first person. I do not know who is telling the story, although I have some inclination. But it sure seems like whoever is telling this is involved somehow. Lots to think about. Just an initial reaction.
Posted by Shanelle Evkovich at February 3, 2006 12:37 AM
Comments
I really like the quote you found, i didn't see it i muct of lokked over it. I want to say that Bernice is telling the story but here i am along with you not very sure. There is alot going on in the story which makes it hard to focus on just one topic or fact.
Posted by: Melissa Lupari at February 5, 2006 12:46 PM
Shanelle,
I did think about the quote you picked. I do believe that Bernice is the one who is writing this story and telling it how she felt during this time in her life. At eighteen alot of young woman want to have their place in the world and do accept adivce from each other however, this time I felt that the advice given was in vain.
Posted by: LisaRandolph at February 5, 2006 11:27 PM
I'll go with melissa on this one because, there are alot of places going through minds of eighteen year olds. Bernice must have this picture in her mind of a special place. she decribes it alot."With a flourish and a bang the music stops. The couples exchange artificial, effortless smiles, facetiously repeat 'la-de-da-da dum-dum,' and then the clatter of young feminine voices soars over the burst of clapping."
Posted by: Shawn Schoolden at February 6, 2006 01:03 PM
Actually, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is written from several different points of view, shifting back and forth between them at different points in the story.
At the beginning of the story, the author takes on an omniscient point of view -- meaning that Fitzgerald is presenting the story from the perspective of an almost God-like figure in his fictional world, who can know and see everything at once.
Then, as the story shifts into the first conversation between Warren and Marjorie, Fitzgerald flips over into a third-person point of view -- meaning that he presents the story from a more personal, immediate perspective, focusing on the action as it happens, rather than broad descriptions of the events of the fictional world he creates. He presents the inner workings of the minds of several characters to develop the most interesting conflicts he creates.
If the point of view was first-person from any one character's perspective, we (the readers) would not be able to witness the scenes in which those characters are not present. For instance, if the point of view was first-person from Bernice's perspective, we would not be able to listen to the conversation between Warren and Marjorie, because Bernice is not there when it happens.
Posted by: ChrisU at February 6, 2006 11:38 PM