The Great Santini | Style

The Great Santini Style

Point of View

The Great Santini is written from the omniscient, third person narrator point of view. Ben's character represents the author himself in this largely autobiographical book, and it's natural that the omniscient narrator should focus on Ben's point of view most often. However, Conroy's understanding of human nature, or at least of his family's own nature, makes him seem like a truly omniscient narrator. The portions of the book seen through Mary Anne's or Lillian's eyes ring true to life, and the adult Pat Conroy has transcended the more limited worldview of his younger self to grasp the intricacies of the family dynamic. His insight into his father's world is equally astonishing. He creates in Virgil Hedgepath a character who puts Bull's military value in context for the reader, and who appreciates the underlying value of the entire Meecham clan. This indirect explanation of his father's point of view may have...
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