Point of View

Tracy Flick Can’t Win is written from both the first person and the third person points of view. The author guides the reader through these various points of view using his narrative structure and form. Each chapter subsection that is labeled with a character’s first and last name is written from that character’s first person vantage point. For example, sections marked “Tracy Flick” present passages written from Tracy’s perspective. Those marked “Jack Weede,” “Kyle Dorfman,” “Lily Chu,” or “Nate Cleary,” are written from Jack’s, Kyle’s, Lily’s, or Nate’s first person points of view respectively. The narrative scaffolding and presentation on the page, therefore, acts as a guide between these alternating narrative vantage points.

Chapters that are not marked with a character’s name are written from the third person limited point of view. For example, Chapter 2 begins...