Question

fter school, I met up with Felix and a few other friends at the skate park. Felix is my best
friend, and we have both been trying to learn this new skateboarding trick for a few weeks.
Anyway, last night, as I was skating home from Felix’s house, I finally pulled off the trick! I was
sure that Felix would be happy for me, so I thought about texting him that night to tell him. But
then I thought that it would be more fun to just show him the next day.
So, today, I rolled up at the skate park and said, “Hey Felix, check this out.” I tried and landed
the trick on the first try. He nodded without smiling or showing excitement and said, “Nice, Josh.
You nailed it.” Felix has always been a quiet person who doesn’t show much emotion, so I have
always had trouble reading him—whether he is happy or sad or excited or whatever. This time
was no different. I had no idea if he was excited for me or was maybe a little jealous that I got the
trick before he did. Or maybe he thought I was trying to show off? I wasn’t sure if I should ask him
about it.
1. From which point of view is the passage told? How can you tell?
2. Is the narrator a character in the passage? How can you tell?
3. How does the passage’s point of view affect what readers know about the characters’
thoughts and feelings?
4. From which point of view would the story need to be written for readers to know Felix’s
thoughts and feelings? Explain.
5. How does the narrative point of view used in this passage help readers identify with the
narrator and the potential conflict he faces?

Answer 1

1. The passage is told from a first-person point of view. You can tell because the narrator uses first-person pronouns (“I,” “me,” “my”) and tells the story from their own perspective (“I met up…,” “I rolled up…,” “I had no idea…”).

2. Yes — the narrator is a character in the passage. The narrator describes their own actions and thoughts (e.g., “I tried and landed the trick,” “I was sure that Felix would be happy for me”), so the “I” is participating in the events described.

3. The first-person point of view gives readers direct access to the narrator’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions (pride at landing the trick, uncertainty about Felix’s reaction), but it limits information about other characters. We only learn about Felix’s feelings through the narrator’s observations (Felix “nodded without smiling” and said “Nice, Josh. You nailed it.”), not from any direct access to Felix’s inner thoughts. This creates uncertainty about whether Felix is happy, jealous, indifferent, or suspicious.

4. To know Felix’s thoughts and feelings directly, the story would need to be written either from Felix’s point of view (first-person Felix) or by an omniscient narrator (third-person omniscient) who can report the inner life of all characters. A third-person limited narrator focused on Felix would also work, but a single first-person narrator who is not Felix cannot reveal Felix’s private thoughts.

5. The first-person POV helps readers identify with the narrator because it puts them inside his mind—his excitement at landing the trick, his expectation that Felix would be happy, and his puzzlement afterward. The limited perspective creates empathy (we feel his uncertainty) and makes the conflict immediate and personal: the tension is internal (not knowing what Felix feels), so readers experience that ambiguity alongside the narrator.