Perspective

Major (later Colonel) Jim Corbett is both the book's author and main character. Corbett is an English soldier from the mid-20th century and displays the sense of honor, propriety, respect and emotional reserve of a British officer of his day. He has a clear sense of duty to protect the lives of the locals, despite being hired by the United Provinces' government to go on the hunt. He goes out of his way to avoid describing gruesome details to the reader and often displays a respect not only for his kills but for nature generally.

It is notable how totally Corbett is devoted to describing the hunt. We hear nothing of his family, save a mention of his sister, and his friends are rarely described and seldom named. While Corbett often travels with a group of men, he almost never mentions them and tends to hunt alone...