Point of View

The format of the book comprises a series of scenes, all approximately contemporaneous in time, and all in different settings with different characters. This leads to frequent changes in the point of view, as the action or narrative cuts from scene to scene. The point of view is generally that of the third person attached for each character. Emotions and opinions are usually expressed through dialog with other characters. Occasionally there is an exposition of the thoughts of a specific character, usually in connection with an explanation or justification for an opinion or action. A prime example would be the interchanges between Felix Cortez and Ernesto Escobedo.

Characters entering the narrative for the first time are often accompanied by thumbnail sketches of their personal history. These thumbnail sketches are in the third person omniscient point of view.

The main use of the omniscient third person point...