Point of View

Dreams of Joy is written in alternating perspectives of Joy and Pearl. Both sections employ the third-person and omniscient narrative voice recounted from the lens of Joy's and Pearl's individual experiences. The point-of-view thus feels completely reliable. The point-of-view is integral to understanding the novel as a whole because of Joy and Pearl's relationship. As a separated mother and daughter, it is clear that these two women would do anything for the other. Because they have returned to China during the communist era, much of their correspondence is monitored and censored by the mail system, which means that the women often don't know exactly when the other is attempting to communicate with the other. This is reflected in the point-of-view, as the reader fills in the story's gaps by first hearing about an event through one character's perspective, followed by the same event recounted by the...