Point of View

Mellors employs third-person limited omniscient point of view and shifts to a different character's perspective with each new chapter. Since the novel centralizes on a divorce, this allows Mellors to offer a more comprehensive view of the relationship rather than a binary between two opposing sides. We spend time in both Cleo's and Frank's brains, which humanizes them and allows us to have more sympathy for their situation. This sympathy comes through an enriched understanding of their character motives, which are each deeply rooted in their traumatic pasts. Both Frank and Cleo are unreliable narrators since they have a biased view of who is causing the destruction of their relationship, so it is beneficial to have the lenses of Quentin, Anders, Zoe, Eleanor, and Santiago as well. Through their compilation of voices, we receive an oversight that allows us to form our own opinions. These...