Point of View

Paolo Bacigalupi writes his novel "Ship Breaker" from the third-person limited-omniscient perspective. This is done because the novel takes place at an unknown date in the future, and much is to be explained about the way the world differs from the one in which the reader exists. A third-person narrator, who acts as a guide of sorts, and recounts a story and historical events, allows the reader to understand the world in which Nailer exists.

Language and Meaning

Paolo Bacigalupi tells his novel "Ship Breaker" in language that is simple and straightforward. This is done for at least two very important reasons. The first is that the novel is geared toward young adults, so simpler language is easier to traverse for younger minds. The second has to do with the futuristic setting of the novel, and the lack of education that Nailer, and most of...