Point of View

The novel is written in third person. Most of the novel is mostly limited to Leif's perspective. Leif is a young boy, probably age 12 or in his early teens. With the exception of the opening chapter, the reader sees all the events of this novel from Leif's point of view. His perspective is affected by several factors, including his youth and past experiences. For example, Leif has experienced a lot of brutality from other men. This makes him distrust people in general even though he has also experienced a few kind people. The result is that he fears the possibility of encountering people. When he mistakes an iceberg for ship, his first impulse is to draw nearer the shore in an effort to avoid being seen. Other young boys in his situation might have been hopeful that the people on a ship would come to...