Point of View

The author uses a first person point of view from the perspective of the main character Richard Powers. Richard is in effect writing his own autobiography and moves back and forth between the present activities with the research team and his past memories—particularly those of his relationship with C.

He conveys his helplessness in passages of interpersonal dialogue through his spoken words as well as his unspoken mental processes that occur in the course of conversation. In his reveries about the past, the narrator is able to recall conversations and events and add reflexive thinking and commentary to what was occurring at the time, showing the reader how he has come to understand or give meaning to his experiences.

Richard is able to convey his feelings of inferiority around Lentz and the other researchers. They are constantly able to get the better of him...