Point of View

Aside from the final chapter, the entire book is written in the first-person perspective, narrated by Godric himself. However, Godric's use of perspective is complex. The reader will immediately notice that Godric often shifts between referring to himself in the first-person and referring to himself in the third-person. Indeed, early on, the reader could easily become confused about who is supposed to be the narrator. This complex use of perspective is more or less confined to the early chapters of the book and disappears altogether after the pilgrimage to Rome.

Godric himself provides some indirect hints as to why he speaks this way. First of all, in his early years, Godric himself had a kind of split identity. There was the part of him which wished to follow Cuthbert's words and live a life of virtue. Then, there was the other, stronger part which wanted to...