Point of View

The novel shifts between third person, omniscient, and first person depending on the which character the chapter focuses on. All chapters about Stephen are told from a first person perspective allowing his unstable mental state to become increasingly evident to the reader. His own narration of his thoughts exudes his illness. Chapters focused on Catherine (and later Nicholas or Robert) are told from a third person omniscient perspective. This allows the reader to learn about these character's actions and motivations as an observer and thus making the narration more trustworthy (whereas Stephen's first person perspective in unreliable, as it is only his perspective of events.

The other impact of shifting voice within the narrative is framing certain characters as predators and others as prey. Stephen is the predator. He speaks for himself and is in control. The third person voice frames the Ravenscroft family as...