Point of View

The point of view of the novel switches back and forth between first person and third person. The protagonist, Nat, tells the first person point of view. Nat is honest and detailed in his descriptions. He is telling the story in the past tense, and relates his story the way he perceived his experience as it was happening to him. The reader experiences everything for the first time along with Nat. The other point of view is told in the third person. This point of view is omniscient and reliable. It is very basic and told economically. In comparison to Nat's very personal first person narration, the third person narrator feels quite distant and impersonal, merely relating facts.

Nat's first person narration reveals a lot about his character. His description of places and people is very detailed. It demonstrates his keen ability to absorb the world...