Point of View

Jennifer Richard Jacobson tells her novel “Small as an Elephant” from the third-person limited-omniscient narrative mode in an informal manner as though the story was being related by a friend or someone familiar with the events of the story. Given Jack’s nature as a highly personal and introspective person, it makes sense that he will not be telling his own story. The narrator and the reader both become observers, outsiders to Jack’s journey. The limited-omniscient aspect of the novel adds both a sense of realism and suspense, especially as Jack both attempts to navigate his way through coastal Maine and avoid police and people searching for him.

Language and Meaning

Jennifer Richard Jacobson tells her novel “Small as an Elephant” in language that is simple and straightforward. This is done for at least two reasons. First, the main character of the novel, Jack...