Point of View

The story is told from Violet's first-person point of view. This means that the reader is privy only to Violet's thoughts and observations. However, this filtering does not detract from a solid understanding of Rose's life. Through Violet's eyes, the readers see Rose's overwhelming pain, sadness, and beauty. Violet chooses those details that most demonstrate what her sister goes through in the tenyear course of her illness, but she also reflects on what her sister had been: "before her constant tinkling of commercials and fast-food jingle there had been Puccini and Mozart and hymns so sweet and mighty you expected Jesus to come down off his cross and clap . . . there had been the prettiest girl in Arrandale Elementary School, the belle of Landmark Junior High." Because of Violet's clear love for her sister, the reader feels comfortable in trusting her words and her interpretations. Violet chooses...