Can character perspective really affect the story? Well in “Save Me A Seat” by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan, it switches between the two boys named Joe and Ravi. Joe is an average boy that has lived in the small town his whole life while Ravi, on the other hand, is Indian and only just moved here from Vidya Mandir (located in Bangalore). In this book by Weeks and Varadarajan, the authors switching between 2 characters affect the story by giving us more perspective and makes it easier to connect with the characters more.

For instance, in the case of Joe, if the authors had made the book in Ravi’s perspective then we would not know a lot about Joe. ‘“I hate that kids think I’m dumb and that teachers don’t like me. I hate being afraid to raise my hand even when I know the answer. I hate that I’m taller than everyone else in my class, including my teacher, and that the only real friend I have is a dog. Most of all I hate Dillon Samreen, because he never, ever lets me forget who I am.”’ (Page 142 & 143). This is when Joe finally breaks down and tells his parents everything that he hates about his life. Also, we wouldn’t be able to see flashbacks that Joe has. “I think about the name Dillon called Mr. Barnes behind his back the day he brought his pink Hacky Sack to school. A word my mother would wash my mouth out with soap for saying.” (Page 37). Without knowing all of this info, Joe would feel less impactful to us as a reader and to the overall story. This is basically what would also happen to Ravi if Joe was the only point of view.

Furthermore, let us elaborate on Ravi’s character. Like it is stated in the previous paragraph, we basically would not know anything about Ravi except what Joe sees. “My life is a mess. Sleep is the only escape I can think of, so I do as my mother has told me. I put on the sweater and the tight monkey cap, which covers not only my head but most of my face, and go back up into my room.” (Page 155). We also would not know what Ravi is feeling like when he is running “like I am running for my life.” (page 129). This quote was what Ravi was thinking when he was being bullied by Dillon. If it was through the eyes of Joe then we could tell that Ravi is upset but not much more than that. We as the reader got to experience it first person though and that moment was much more impactful than if it was in Joe’s perspective. Just gaining perspective is not the only thing that you can get from writing in multiple P.O.Vs, you also connect with the characters more.

Writing in multiple P.O.Vs can also help with better connecting to a character. Say, for instance, Ravi, we know what he is like and his character. “Winning is not always about shining the brightest. Sometimes it’s about sharing the light with someone who has been waiting in the shadows all along.” (Page 215). Dialogue like this makes Ravi more likable and then, therefore, helps us readers connect with him more. If the story only went from the P.O.V of Joe then Ravi would feel like an underdeveloped character that no one would care about. This could have also been said for Joe.

Similarly, for Joe, we know who he is. If we did not know whom he was and had told Ravi of his breakdown on Thursday then it would not have half of the original drama. “I read it three times. It’s the first letter my father has ever written to me, and it takes a while for the words to sink in.” (Page 153). Ravi did not even really become friends with him until near the end. Think about how all the drama would be taken out if Joe had just retold it to Ravi. Joe being in first person really upped the drama and made us easier to connect with him. If the story was only in Ravi’s P.O.V then we would not have cared for Joe.

Thus, you can not have two main characters if you do not give each of them their own P.O.V. It will not only enhance the story greatly but also impact if significantly. It will give the readers more perspective and also make it easier to connect with the characters. So if your book has two or more characters, then put in a little extra effort to give each of them a P.O.V and it will pay off in the long run.