Point of View

The point of view throughout the novel is first person narration. In part One, Sue is the narrator. Everything is seen and understood from her limited point of view. Everything the reader knows in this part of the novel is what Sue thinks, feels, sees, knows, and does. The reader's knowledge and understanding, perhaps even the reader's innocence, is limited to what Sue knows. The use of the first person point of view is the method by which the author is able to advance the surprise and the suspense of the novel. Because the reader reaches the conclusion of Part 1 seeing only from Sue's point of view, the surprise of the plot twist that places Sue, rather than Maud, in the asylum becomes possible. This tactic also introduces the suspense that carries the reader into Part 2 eager to learn what will happen next. This point of...