Point of View

Roald Dahl tells his novel The Twits in the first-person narrative mode from the point of an unknown narrator (most likely himself) who not only narrates the story, but directly addresses readers a number of times through the course of the novel. The use of “I” and “you” creates a very personal, very intimate relationship between reader and narrator. On page 3 of the chapter “Hairy Faces,” the narrator directly talks about wanting to know why so many men have hairy faces, and warning readers to wonder about men with beards. This also directly engages the reader to consider the things that the narrator speaks about, such as doing good things. When it comes to the bulk of the story itself, however, the narrator does not address himself, but directly addresses the reader, breaking the fourth wall to do so, and again directly engaging the reader...