Point of View

The point of view throughout the novel remains third person omniscient, but only focalizes through Nóra, Nance, and Mary. This means that the reader can only know the thoughts and feelings of these three characters; everyone else is observed from an external focalization in which we do not enter their inner worlds. The focalization of these three characters provides the perceptions of three different females on the same issue to provide the reader with a nuanced understanding. Their varying perspectives reveal the history of Nance’s beliefs, the extent of Nóra’s grief, and the fresh eyes of a teenage girl. When Mary agrees to help Nóra with Micheál, she questions her decision because she can see Micheál’s humanity unlike Nóra and Nance. Each ultimately reveal how their beliefs aim to satisfy a personal need: Nance wished to...