Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the past tense and the third person. At any given time, the scope of the narration is limited to one given character’s perspective. Each of the novel’s chapters adheres to one specific character perspective throughout. For example, the first chapter is told through Atticus’ perspective, “Dreams of the Which House” is told through Letitia’s perspective, and “Horace and the Devil Doll” is told through Horace’s perspective. This narrative choice allows the novel to explore the different manifestations of racial oppression faced by each character while also maintaining a consistent perspective through each episodic chapter.

Ultimately, the novel functions to simulate the horror, fear, and danger that racial oppression creates in the lives of oppressed minorities. All of the book’s point-of-view characters are black. Thus, the reader is given direct insights into their hardships...