Point of View

The author utilizes a third-person omniscient point of view, which focusses on the protagonist, Lale, and thereby demonstrates his importance in the story. The narrator closely follows the progression of the story by zooming in on his experience, his relationships, and his path as he navigates Auschwitz and escapes near death by surviving. By not using a first-person narrative, the author has chosen to keep the reader slightly removed from Lale’s experience and thoughts, while still maintaining a degree of intimacy.

That being said, there are some important instances where Lale’s inner thoughts come through the narrative, which breaks the distance between reader and protagonist. This is achieved by including Lale’s thoughts in italics. For example, after Lale is tattooed, it reads in regular font: “He grasps his arm, staring at the number” (12). After, the font changes to italics, and reads: “How...