Point of View

The narrative of Citizen of the Galaxy is written in third person. This is Thorby's story, and thus it is usually (though not always) told from Thorby's point of view. More often than not, we are guided to experience the events of the story as Thorby experiences them and most of the critical information is made revealed to us as it is revealed to the story's protagonist.

There are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, very little of the first chapter is told from Thorby's point of view. These early pages give us the perspective of Baslim or that of an objective third party, and Thorby's thoughts and feelings remain somewhat of a mystery.

After Baslim's death in chapter four, the perspective of the novel rarely moves away from that which is witnessed through Thorby's eyes. There are a couple of exceptions to this...