First Person Point of View in "How I Met My Husband"

"How I Met My Husband" is narrated in first person point of view by the character Edie. Through Edie's narration of the story, situational irony is created, discussed in my previous blog entry. If this story was told in third person, we would soon realize Chris' motives in life as a "player." We also would be aware of the mail carrier's thoughts as he got to know Edie. This would cause the reader to make inferences and realize that Chris would not ever write to Edie. "I'm going to write you a letter. I'll tell you where I am and maybe you can come see me..." (142). As Chris stated this, we would have been aware of his actual thoughts and know that he had no interest in a relationship with Edie.

The reader would also assume that Edie and the mailman would develop a relationship over time. I believe Edie would also be viewed far greater as a young naive girl had we known Chris's history. We would see her falling for the wrong guy instead of finding her husband, which would greatly change a reader's perception of Edie.

1. First Person Point of View

Right from the get-go I found my first literary term used within chapter one of The Sun Also Rises. The novel is told by Jake Barnes from a first person point of view. He begins by giving an introduction to Robert Cohn, in which we first see the appearance of "I" which indicates the point of view. "Do not think I am very much impressed by that as a boxing title, but it meant a lot to Cohn," (11). After beginning the novel, I am somewhat curious as to why Jake is the narrator if this story appears to be only about Robert Cohn. I have not learned anything about the narrator, which seems unusual for a first person point of view novel. Cohn's past must be very significant to the book if Hemingway initially provides us with so much background information about his life before meeting Jake. As I continue reading, I will be eager to discover the significance of Cohn's character.