Point of View

The point of view of the novel is first-person, told from William Mandella's point of view. The narration is subjective and depends thoroughly upon the sole experience of the narrator, Mandella. Mandella is only aware of what is happening to him and what he has gone through in the past, and the entire story rests upon that frame of reference. Although he can guess and make inferences about other people's perceptions of events, the only facts that are actually presented are from Mandella's world. This point of view is integral to the story because it creates the potential for an informal and emotional experience for the reader. Additionally, it affords the reader the opportunity to experience things as Mandella does, rather than knowing what is coming with a third person narration. The novel contains equal parts of narration and dialogue, both of which range from funny...