The Manchurian Candidate | Style

The Manchurian Candidate Style

Points of View

The novel is told in the third person; however, occasionally the author changes his tone and language to reflect the state of mind of whichever character is the focus of a particular scene. A good example of this is the episode on the train when Marco fixates on Rosie's apparent Arabic heritage. Also, the narrator is omniscient, and frequently refers to events that have not yet happened in the proper sequence of the novel. This occurs several times in the lead up to Holborn Gaines's death, and also in the descriptions of Communist officials mentioned early in the book.

Setting

Manchurian Candidate spans the 1950s, beginning its narrative in 1951 and concluding in 1960. McCarthyism and psychology were both very much in the public consciousness during this time, and these influences fuel the book. Although the first chapter is a bit of a detour into fallen soldier Ed Mavole's hometown of...
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