Point of View

Roald Dahl tells his novel “Fantastic Mr. Fox” in the third-person omniscient perspective. The third-person allows Dahl to tell not only the story of Mr. Fox, but the story of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean in their efforts to try to catch and kill Mr. Fox. Here, the narrator takes on an omniscient perspective, as the narrator and the reader are able to know both what Mr. Fox is up to, and what the farmers are up to. While the reader knows everything going on, Mr. Fox and the farmers do not. This gives the reader not only a privileged view of events, but also adds a sense of desperation and drama as the farmers close in on Mr. Fox. For example, early in the novel, the reader is made aware by the narrator that the three farmers are lying in wait for Mr. Fox to...