Points of View

This story is written from the third-person omniscient point of view, where the author can look through any character's eyes and enter any character's mind. Each chapter section expounds on one or a few perceptions during a particular climactic point in a character's life. Some characters are highly symbolic, such as the drunken man shouting that he cannot do something directly after Ellen accepts George's marriage proposal. Ellen cannot stop her cycle of marriage and divorce. Other characters like Ellen and Jimmy are central to the novel's main themes. Point of view often shifts inward for Jimmy. He has a tremendous imagination, a place to which he escapes regularly while in crisis.

An especially satisfying point of view is when the author describes New York City, how it looks and smells in various weather situations and times of the day and night. Location is important for...