Point of View,
Theme and Moral
Notes
Notes on Point of View
Point of View is the perspective
from which the story is told. There
are six main points of view. Not all
are used in short stories (numbers
1-4 are most common).
Point of View Types:
1. First Person (major character) - The
narrator is either the protagonist or the
antagonist; uses the pronoun “I”.
2. First Person (minor character) - The
narrator is one of the other characters
in the story; uses the pronoun “I”.
Points of View Types (con’t)
3. Third Person Omniscient (“Omni”
means all and “science” mean
knowledge; therefore, “omniscient”
means all knowing) narrator is not a
character, but reveals the thoughts
and feelings of all the characters;
uses the pronouns “he” or “she”.
Points of View Types (con’t)
4. Third Person Limited Omniscient - The
narrator is not a character, but reveals
the thoughts and feelings of ONLY
ONE character (knowledge is LIMITED
to one character); uses the pronouns
“he” or “she”.
Points of View Types (con’t)
5. Third Person Objective - The narrator
writes what is observed without
knowledge of the thoughts and feelings
of any of the characters; uses the
pronouns “he” or “she”.
Points of View Types (con’t)
6. Stream of consciousness used in
journal writing; writing without giving
thought to form or structure; letting
thoughts flow onto the page.
Notes on Theme and Moral
• Theme and Moral are often confused, BUT
they are very different
• Theme: a GENERAL statement that the
author, in writing the story, makes about
society, people and life in general.
• Moral: a statement that the author, in writing
the story, makes to the reader as a type of
warning or lesson to be taught.
To Determine Theme and Moral
1. Determine the topic of the story
For Example: the topic might be of “Dr.
Heidegger’s Experiment” might be the
aging process, learning from life’s lessons,
or greed.
2. Ask yourself what statement the story
makes about that topic?
3. A general statement qualifies as a theme and
a lesson statement qualifies as a moral.
The Aging Process:
Theme: as people grow older, they often
desire to find a way to recapture their
youth.
Moral: People should place value on the
wisdom that comes through aging.
Learning from Life’s Lessons:
Theme: People who examine and learn
from their life experiences are likely to
be more content with their lives.
Moral: One who does not learn from
one’s mistakes is bound to repeat
them.
Greed:
Theme: Most people, when faced with a
tempting situation, will discover an
element of greed within themselves.
Moral: No good can come from a greedy
heart.
Other Theme/Moral Terms:
Motif: reoccurring ideas or images that
help to develop the theme.
Satire: ridiculing or poking fun at a topic,
usually within the hope of bringing
about a change.