King Rat | Style

King Rat Style

Point of View

King Rat is the first of James Clavell's monumental novels set in Asia. It reflects his confinement during World War II at the Changi POW Camp at the eastern tip of Singapore Island. The horror of the experience is very much first-person, although he writes in the third person omniscient. Often he allows characters to reflect in the first person on their own experiences, and introduces many minor characters simply, it seems, to be able to showcase a particular kind of suffering or bravery.

The novel for the most part follows Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe around camp. He is an educated, upper-class Briton, but also a bit of a rebel, wearing a sarong, sitting on his heels, native style, speaking fluent Malay, refusing to wear the regulation arm band indicating rank, and fraternizing with American enlisted men. Much of the action is viewed from his perspective, which fits no...
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