A narrative essay basically involves telling a story. One distinguishing characteristic of the narrative essay is that it is told in the first person perspective. However, the third person narrative is also employed sometimes. In addition, a narrative essay draws heavily from personal experience. Towards that end, it combines all the features of a story: the setting, the characters, and the plot.
The main theme of the narrative essay is usually expressed in the opening paragraph of the introduction, although it may also be found in the last paragraph of that introduction. Another key distinguishing characteristic of a narrative essay is that it shows –it doesn’t tell. That is, it relies heavily on sensual details. These details are unified throughout the paper in creating the desired impact.
