Point of View

The novel is told from three main points of view: Luther Dunphy, Naomi Voorhees, and Dawn Dunphy in that order. Oates writes Luther Dunphy’s perspective in the first person, as the novel opens. Later in the novel she reverts back to third person for Luther’s perspective. For Naomi she uses both a third and first person perspective in order to demonstrate her mental disorder. Dawn is only told through the third person perspective. Though Gus Voorhees is a central character, she never tells his a story through his perspective, and only includes one chapter that really delves into what Gus’s life may have been like, told through the perspective of a friend. Throughout the novel however, there are other characters’ third person perspectives mixed in including Darren, Edna Mae, and Jenna. In addition, there are other ancillary characters through which Oates includes...