Point of View

Andrea Davis Pinkney tells her novel “The Red Pencil” in the first-person limited-omniscient narrative mode from the point of view of her main character and principal protagonist, Amira. Amira serves as the narrator for the novel due to the fact that the story therein is her own, and there is no one better to tell her own story than Amira herself. Because the novel deals with such important things, like writing and reading, and touches upon horrors like war, the first-person perspective allows the reader an intimate glance into the thoughts of Amira’s mind and heart. This is especially important given that, for much of the novel, Amira doesn’t speak out loud to anyone, for the horrors of war have temporarily silenced her. This is also appropriate given that Amira speaks relatively little, even when she does speak. She is very thoughtful and...