Point of View

The novel is written in first-person from the sole perspective of Jim Hawkins. Jim is a 13-year-old boy who lives in Cody, Wyoming, with his parents and siblings. His family practices the Mormon religion and much of the novel is focused on the role of religion, interactions with God, and the history of the ancient Nephites. The limited perspective means the reader knows only what Jim knows. For much of the novel, Jim is separated from Jenny and the reader knows very little about what happened to her during that time. She does tell Jim that an older woman took care of her, protecting her as much as possible. Jim and Garth spend most of their time together, though they are briefly separated as each serves as interpreters with separate branches of the army. Jim says that Garth relates the details of their time apart...