Point of View

The point of view of Ponyboy is largely first-person, narrated by the titular main character, a 20-something trans man navigating life and dealing with drug addiction and questions of identity. The reader unquestionably sympathizes with Ponyboy as he makes his way through life as an ex-pat in Europe, even though he does a lot of things that are perhaps unsympathetic as a result of his erratic behavior caused by his severe drug and alcohol addiction. His point of view is somewhat fractured by intoxication and frequent poetic digressions that add texture to the events of the novel. The forward momentum of the narrative frequently takes a backseat to poetic description of feelings or surroundings, which illustrates more about Ponyboy's character and his poetic nature and predilections. Occasionally, the narrative itself will be disrupted by a section that concerns other characters from history, like Dora, the...