I have learnt the importance of distinguishing between point of view and perspective as they both have the ability to manipulate the way we understand stories. Point of view is the lens through which we are told a story and can determine how a perspective is being conveyed (how the story is/events are actually perceived by us). For example, in Bechdel’s ‘Fun Home’, we can distinguish between point of view and her perspective because her story is told in retrospect, which gives her room to express her perspective both as an adult and that of when she was a child. This narrative technique  is from her point of view as her adult self who is reflecting on her childhood self (Alison) and her relationships. Interestingly, although her interactions and the dialogue between Alison and her family illustrated in the panels may have truly occurred, this retrospective point of view allows Bechdel to creatively interweave her own perspective as a grown adult, without explicitly stating it. For example, we can get Bechdel’s perspective on her relationship with her father Bruce as her retrospective point of view allows her to reflect on how her relationship with her father has developed – from when her perspective of her father used to be cold and distant as Alison, with her retrospective narrative voice now conveying her changed perspective of Bruce, appreciating the similarities between them. Her point of view also encompasses a third person omniscient to her childhood self – which furthermore allows her to play with perspective and self-reflection (ultimately her growth in her identity – a thematic concern of the memoir).

Similarly, Shields’ own perspective is subtly interwoven in ‘Dressing for the Carnival’, as she uses the third person limited voice and free indirect discourse. Her use of free indirect discourse not only expresses the thoughts and emotions of the persona in each passage, but also hints at her own perspective of the persona’s motives/actions. The voice she uses to express their thoughts, for example by making them sound slightly sarcastic or hyperbolised, allows her to manipulate the way in which we perceive them. An instance of this would be when she describes the two siblings who recently came back from a ski-trip. Despite being told in the third person, we are manipulated into interpreting their characters as being somewhat stuck up – an unfounded perception. Thus, point of view and perspective play an important role in affecting the way we interpret stories, leading us to understand them in a way that may not always be reliable, but allows more insight to the author’s intentions with their story.