Point of View

"To the Dogs" is written from 15-year-old Zhao's first-person point of view. By writing the short story from her main character's first-person vantage point, the author is able to access Zhao's most complex thoughts and feelings. At the start of the story, Zhao knows that his departure from Shanghai "could be for life" (1). Despite this awareness, Zhao has yet to understand the true emotional significance of the transition. Over the course of the story, therefore, the reader must rely upon the subtle shifts in Zhao's narrative tone in order to understand his rapid shifts in consciousness. When he first arrives at "X Town Station," Zhao says that he "didn't know where to go" (1). Despite his profound unease and disorientation, Zhao says that he does not "dare ask the conductor" for directions because he believes him to be "a violent man" (1). Zhao's fear and trepidation in...