Point of View

Billie Letts tells her novel Where the Heart Is in the third-person omniscient narrative. This is done for several reasons. First, due to the number of characters, places, situations, and events contained in the novel, a common thread by way of a single voice links all of these disparate stories together into a larger effort. Also, switches between Novalee's life and Willy Jack's life are not jarring or unsettling, as might have been the case if two people were narrating their own parts in one single novel. Finally, the narrator is able to explain things to the reader in an omniscient fashion. When characters narrate for themselves, they might not be aware of specific feelings, reactions, or motions of another character.

Language and Meaning

Billie Letts uses sweet, simple, and straightforward language in Where the Heart Is. The author's choice of words is suitable because...