Point of View

The story is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator, who can see into Tris and Rialla's heads. Since Rialla is empathic, she has access to the emotions, and sometimes the thoughts, of the people and animals around her, which provides a unique point of view. Sometimes Rialla can be aware of only very strong feelings of the people around her, but other times she has intimate understanding of the thoughts of the dogs and horses around her, although she may not be able to tell if they are animal or human. This viewpoint is a mixed blessing to Rialla, who tends to receive all the pain of any deaths that happen around her. Rialla's widespread viewpoint helps her maintain her sanity when she is locked in a coffin-sized hole in the wall, because she can spread her awareness all around her and...