Point of View

The Dreamer is told largely through the perspective of a third-person limited narrator. The narrator is limited only to Neftalí, but sometimes the narrator evokes the voice of poetry. In the first line of the poem that begins the children’s novel, the voice states, “I am poetry” (iv). This voice is denoted with italics and sometimes asks questions directed at both Neftalí and the reader: “Neftalí? To which mystical land does an unfinished staircase lead?” (16). These questions are abstract and require contemplation to answer. The act of contemplation may lead readers to challenge their own experiences with critical introspection. This voice of poetry persists in this way throughout the novel.

The third-person narration allows for space between the reader and the experiences of the main character, Neftalí. Thus, the questions directed at readers aim to make connections between the conflicts that arise in both...