W. Somerset Maugham | Style

W. Somerset Maugham Style

Point of View

These stories are told from the third person point of view. Ashenden is the main character in these stories and they are told from his point of view. The narrator has access to Ashenden's thoughts and emotions but not to those of the other characters in the stories. Information about other characters is either portrayed by what Ashenden thinks or says about them or what these characters say about themselves. This point of view is important to the stories because the stories center mainly on Ashenden's interpretation of the characters that he meets and the situations that he experiences. If the stories were told from any other view point, the emphasis of Ashenden's observations would be diluted.

Ashenden's stories are told through both dialogue and exposition. There is considerably less dialogue than exposition. These sections of exposition are important, however, because it is through these patches of exposition that Ashenden...
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