Not So Fast

Authors Note: I am reading the book chains. This writing piece is about seeing the different side of things. To let the reader see the point of view for Mr. Robert, and not Isabellas.

In the book, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, a younger girl and her sister who are Slaves, try to deal with the fact that they got betrayed. They should have been free but they are not anymore. This story was written in Isabel’s point of view. From this perspective, a lot of events and characters are described in a way that creates depression and sadness in the reader about Isabella and her sister getting betrayed by their pastor and Mr. Robert.


One way that Isabella’s point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how this do anything to not have him as her owner. He took away their freedom. The children’s parent will said that after they pass, that they are free. But Mr. Robert was dishonest and kept them for himself. They do anything to be with someone else. Anyone was better than him.


However, the reader would feel a lot differently about Isabella’s bad luck, if the novel was written in the point of view Mr. Robert. Mr. Robert would describe the kids as rotten, and he would say how rude they are. He might even say that he was trying to help them, and the Pastor was bad for them. For instance, the reader wouldn't think, you should sell those kids are so bad, and they would be happy that Mr. Robert finally sold them to the right person. The view of someone else can change the view of a lot of other people.


As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of an event or topic. In Chains, the narrator's perspective makes the reader feel hatred against Mr. Robert. If we ever looked at Mr. Robert’s point of view, we could really think differently. This is why getting two sides of each story is always helpful; it lets us see everything better.