Points of View

The Quiet American is written solely from Thomas Fowler's point of view and in the first person. It is somewhat unusual that Fowler is both narrator and a strong character in the story. He writes the book as a means of making sense of what happened during this period of his life. In many ways Fowler's character is the strongest in the book and also the only one to really undergo a change. He moves from being a cynical observer to an active participant in Pyle's murder. Fowler justifies his participation in murder by concluding that Pyle had to be eliminated for political reasons. He does not go over the very strong personal reasons he had to want Pyle gone. Because the book is told from his point of view, the reader can readily observe Fowler as a person and can easily see his own blind...