Points of View

Philbrick uses a third person perspective in In the Heart of the Sea. In this way, the perspective gives an omniscient and historical voice, one that is reliable and that is able to incorporate more recent scholarship on the effects of starvation and dehydration. He also incorporates historical information on whaling and on the island of Nantucket. This perspective allows Philbrick to move back and forth between the historical accounts and the experiences that the men had. Philbrick is able then to describe what happened in both Chase's and Pollard's boats even after the boats have become separated. Rather than focusing on just one member of the crew, this perspective allows us to see what is happening to all the men at the same time, as we are able to see what is taking place in Nantucket.

Philbrick emerges in the first person only during a...