Point of View

The novel is related from the third-person, omniscient point of view by an entirely effaced but reliable narrator. Robey, the principle protagonist, is the central character and is present in every significant scene of the narrative. The narrator frequently reveals interior thoughts and motivations of Robey, but only infrequently reveals interior thoughts of other characters. This construction closely aligns Robey with the narrator and in some ways conflates the character of Robey with the narrative act. The point of view selected allows Robey to be presented in a quite sympathetic light; thus, his murder of the scavenger brothers and his robbery of them appear to be justified and not premeditated or motivated by greed. Robey is presented as acting somewhat impulsively and his motivation appears to be based more on a sense of moral courage rather than on a sense of greed. Also, his decision to...