Points of View

The point of view shifts throughout the book, depending on the story being presented. Some chapters are meant to represent documents, so both point of view in the document and the writer of the document in the world of the story must be taken into account. In basic terms, the prologue consists of a series of letters. Chapter 1 is a first person poem, Chapter 2 is third-person omniscient narration, and Chapter 3 is first-person narration. Chapter 4 is third-person limited omniscient narration and first person letters, Chapter 5 is third-person omniscient narration, and Chapter 6 is third-person limited omniscient narration.

The letters in the prologue introduce readers to one main character, Freud, and give them a sense of authenticity to the story. These letters also place the book clearly in a time period (the early 20th century). The central point of most of these letters, the writings and illness of Freud's...