Call It Courage Style

Call It Courage Style

Point of View

Call it Courage is told from a third-person narrative perspective. It is the retelling of a Polynesian legend, and the tone and point of view of the novel keep the story true to its oral history roots. The story would have been passed from generation to generation through retelling, and the author has written it in such a way that the reader comes away from it feeling as though he has listened to, rather than read, the story.

The focus of the story is on Mafatu, and for much of the story he is the only human character present. It would likely have been possible for the author to approach the retelling of the story from a first-person perspective, essentially "getting inside the head of" Mafatu. However, the choice to narrate the story in the third person is effective because, as mentioned, it stays true to the oral tradition of...
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