Point of View

The novel is related from the first-person and limited point of view. The narrator is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives in northeastern Oklahoma during the late 1800s. Although he has a youthful perspective and is not particularly insightful, he is entirely honest and trustworthy. The point of view selected firmly establishes the narrator as the principle protagonist in the novel, and allow the narrator to explain the rationale for his actions. He reveals many interior thoughts and desires, and frequently speculates about the thoughts and desires of other characters. Every major character in the novel (indeed, nearly every character) is a close relative of the narrator. This allows him to be particularly insightful about their feelings and thoughts. All of the characters share a common history and share common goals and values. Due to this, the narrator can speak for his entire family in a manner...