Points of View

Barrett writes from several different perspectives throughout the pieces in Ship Fever and Other Stories. Although each of the stories is typically told from one perspective, several of the stories use multiple perspectives. "The Marburg Sisters" for example uses both third- and first-person points of view. Barrett's shifting between the two illustrates the closeness and separation of the sisters within the story. In "Ship Fever," the majority of the story is told in the third-person point of view with the exception of Lauchlin's diary entries, which are told from his perspective.

Barrett uses the different points of view depending on the story and the characters. Each of the points of view accomplishes something different for the stories. With the first-person, the reader is able to see the thoughts and feelings of one character, seeing the events and people through them. In "Ship Fever," for example, Lauchlin's...