The First Seven Years Style

The First Seven Years Style

Point of View

The story is told by a limited third person narrator from the point of view of Feld. No direct insight is given into the minds of Max, Miriam, or Sobel. They are revealed only by their words, their actions, and through Feld's perceptions. Telling the story from Feld's point of view means that he becomes a sympathetic figure; the reader understands his thoughts and feelings. But there is also irony in the method. Part of the effectiveness of the storytelling technique lies in the fact that there is so much that Feld does not notice, but which is plainly apparent to the reader. Feld cannot see that Max is unsuited to be a husband to Miriam, which is obvious to the reader from the casual way that Max first agrees to see her. Nor can Feld allow himself to acknowledge that Sobel and Miriam are secretly in love, even though...
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