What Point of View is the Secret Agent?

The point of view of The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad is omniscient third person. The narrator jumps from the minds of Mr. Verloc, Ossipon and Mrs. Verloc quite frequently as well as the minds of Chief Inspector Heat and the Assistant Commissioner. These jumps are regularly made from chapter to chapter with a few jumps taking place within a chapter, and sometimes in the middle of a scene. However, instead of confusing the reader, most of these jumps are well marked and easy to follow.

The author uses this point of view, in order to allow the reader to hear the thoughts of the various characters. This allows the reader access to back story that might not have been available with another point of view format. This novel is full of many colorful characters that could not be fully appreciated if not drawn out with human characteristics that will influence the turn of the plot at some point or other through the novel. This point of view creates a rich picture that may not have been visualized, if written in another style.