Point of View

The point of view used in Graven Images by Paul Fleischman is third person omniscient. This point of view works well in the stories as there are several components and underlying factors that would not be revealed otherwise. While the first person point of view might have been interesting when coming from the characters in their time of confusion, third person conveys the entire story and not just the subjective opinions of the characters. It also permits the reader to take part in the journey and development of each character in the story.

For example, Miss Frye's perceptions of the activities in The Binnacle Boy would be much different than those of Miss Mayhew, Miss Bunch, and Mrs. Stiggins simple because she already knows who killed the crew of the Orion. Fleischman allows the other characters to wonder and surmise about the identity of the murderer...