Point of View

Susan Crandall tells her novel “Whistling Past the Graveyard” in the first-person reflective narrative mode from the point of view of main character and principal protagonist, Starla Claudelle. The novel is being told by Starla years after it has occurred, so the writing assumes a reflective nature, as though Starla is looking back at things that have already happened. The novel is told in the first-person because the events Starla is relating to the reader are her own. The first-person narrative mode allows the reader a glimpse into Starla’s thoughts and feelings, often unspoken, which give the novel and the characterization of Starla greater depth. It also helps the reader to understand things directly as Starla herself has experienced them.

Language and Meaning

Susan Crandall tells her novel “Whistling Past the Graveyard” in language that is childlike, simple, and straightforward. This is done for...