Point of View

Zola adopts a third-person omniscient point of view to tell this story. The narrator is reliable and unobtrusive. When appropriate, the narrator provides insight into the characters' thoughts and emotions. This is especially important for showing the internal struggle that Mouret feels about marrying beneath his class. It is also important in highlighting some of the other themes, such as Hutin's motives in the silk department, or to show Madame Desforges' jealousy. At other times, the characters present their ideas directly in dialog. For example, Mouret and Baron Hartman have conversations about the new business climate that are persuasively presented in dialog in a way that exposition could not have achieved.

The point of view sometimes focuses on Denise and her struggle to survive. Sometimes the point of view focuses on Mouret, providing detailed information on his character, his business ideas, and his own struggle. Some...