Points of View

Characteristically for this genre the story is told from multiple viewpoints. The story opens on the planet of Tatooine and is told from the viewpoint of Anakin Skywalker, a nine year-old boy. The viewpoint here enables the reader to g back to a time when he or she was nine years old, to enter into a nine year-old's frame of reference and enjoy the simplicity of life and the pursuits and diversions that make it a special time of life.

Anakin's excitement and enthusiasm about the Podrace, his total concentration to the exclusion of all other concerns, is a better access to the experience than seeing the same action through the eyes of a grown-up. When he meets with his friends and they enjoy a "Hey, let's go get a coke" moment, the reader is totally in tune with the experience. When Anakin grumbles about Watto...