Point of View

The point of view of La Belle Sauvage is third person, exclusively through the eyes and thoughts of Malcolm Polstead who is always accompanied by his other half, the daemon Asta. Consequently, the reader emotionally invests with Malcolm and his mission to save Lyra and deliver her safely to her father. His point of view is not always reliable, as Malcolm is still only 11 years old and is apt to misinterpret things or be unsure of what is happening. This can be seen through Malcolm's interactions with adults when he asks them what certain words mean as well as Malcolm's slow understanding of when adults are referring to sex euphemistically.

Malcolm's perspective is juvenile, but also discerning and insightful beyond his years. It also shifts over the course of the novel, to show the reader that Malcolm is developing into a young teenager soon, as...