The Body of Christopher Creed | Literary Qualities

The Body of Christopher Creed Literary Qualities

The credibility of Plum-Ucci's story rests largely on her success at characterization, and the credibility of Torey's character is in large part due to Plum-Ucci's success at writing from a male perspective. The first person narrative proves essential to the plot, because in order to emphasize Torey's transformation Plum-Ucci must allow us to see the world through Torey's eyes. The author says that she questioned her ability to successfully portray a male protagonist but was inspired by S. E. Hinton and her ability to write about Ponyboy in The Outsiders. Plum-Ucci appears to understand what goes on in the mind of a teenage boy, and her conversational tone makes Torey an engaging narrator.

Torey narrates the story of Creed's disappearance after it happened as so much of the text is written in flashback. Not only does this convey how Torey's perception of the world changes, but it also...
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