Point of View

Michael Morpurgo tells his novel War Horse in the first-person limited-omniscient reflective perspective from the point of view of Joey the horse. Morpurgo chooses to tell the novel from Joey’s point of view for three primary reasons: first, he wants to demonstrate that animals also suffer in war; second, he wants to demonstrate that animals do indeed have a level of intelligence and understanding regarding the things that go on around them; third, only Joey is able to relate the events that have happened to him through the course of the war, as no one else is constantly with him from beginning to end. The limited-omniscient aspect of the narrative adds a sense of realism to the story, as no one ever knows everything going on at once. This also adds a level of drama and suspense, as the reader has no idea what...