Point of View

Kent Haruf, the author, tells his novel Benediction from the third-person limited-omniscient perspective narrative mode. Though never identified, the narrator has a bird’s eye view of events, knowing almost everything going on at all times. For example, while the narrator can explain that Dad and Mary are hoping for a reconciliation between Dad and Frank, the narrator does not reveal where Frank has gone or what he is doing.

The narrator is sympathetic to the lives of rural and working class people, as Haruf explores the complexities and paradoxes of such people. For example, when Dad's death is approaching, the town's residents gladly help Dad and his family in any way possible. Yet, when Lyle uses his sermon on loving the enemy during times of war to effect change, Holt's devoted and caring citizens become angry. They are as protective of their town's values...