Point of View

In Waiting, author Ha Jin uses the third-person narrative style to tell the story of Lin Kong, a military medical doctor in the Chinese Army, and his unfolding relationships with the women in his life. The voice of the omniscient (all-knowing) narrator in this novel describes the action primarily by entering the thoughts and perspectives of the main characters, Lin and his long-time girlfriend and intended wife, nurse Manna Wu.

When Lin or Manna is present, the reader becomes privy to their inner worlds, with every thought and feeling described in exquisite and sometimes excruciating detail. Most of the story is told from one of their perspectives, and when they are interacting with each other, the reader enters the viewpoint of one observing the other. When Lin and Manna are not present, the narrator switches modes, objectively describing events or what other characters are saying and...