Point of View

The majority of the novel is written in first person from the perspective of the narrator. There is no insight into the feelings or thoughts of the other characters in the novel. However, the narrator frequently expounds on his own thoughts and experiences. The novel is an epistolary novel since the entire thing is the narrator's written confession to the commandant, therefore the point of view must be primarily first person in keeping with the nature of the narrator's writing. The story is told in past tense since it is mostly the narrator's confession of events that have led up to his capture. When the narrator is released, he writes the final pages of his confession that tell about his torture and recovery. These pages are also written in past tense.

The author does briefly shift to third person during the narrator's torture. The narrator...