Point of View

The novel is written in third person from two limited perspectives – Maggie's and Rumpus's. A limited perspective means the reader knows only what these two characters knows. One example is that Maggie has heard stories about Granville Place. This is an institution that is supposed to cure children with problems. Apparently, the facility addresses all sorts of problems. Maggie knows that a boy with a limp was sent there. Maggie has heard stories about how children are treated there. These stories include restraining children and starving them. Because Maggie never actually goes there, the reader has no way of knowing if these stories are accurate. There are a few chapters devoted to Rumpus that are more of an omniscient perspective. For example, in Chapter 2 Rumpus watches the situation but does not have the understanding to actually know what is happening. He does not realize that...