Point of View

The novel's narration is written in the third person and the past tense. Cather’s novel is told by an omniscient narrator, who switches back and forth between different characters’ thoughts at will. This omniscience allows Cather to frequently employ foreshadowing, alerting the reader of certain tragedies to come. For example, when Claude tells Mr. Royce of his plans to marry Enid, the narrator switches from Claude’s perspective to Mr. Royce’s perspective. In so doing, the narrator is able to report how Mr. Royce wishes to tell Claude about the “certain heart-breaking disappointment” he will experience if he marries Enid. Mr. Royce’s thought foreshadows the disastrous marriage between Claude and Enid. Cather employs the same technique when Gladys farmer thinks about Claude’s marriage to Enid: Gladys decides Claude will “fail” if he marries Enid, for he “expect[s] too much from...