Point of View

Moloka'i is told by a third person omniscient narrator. Which Rachel is the main character, the narrator can access the thoughts of all characters whether or not Rachel is present. In this way, the novel becomes more than just the story of one woman. It is the story of all those who suffered because of the prevalence of leprosy in the Hawaiian Islands, whether or not they had the disease.

Dialogue plays an important part in the novel. The reader can learn as much about the characters' feelings and motivations through the dialogue as through the more expository sections in Moloka'i. When dialogue is not a significant part of the text, the descriptions of places, objects, and events usually come from a particular character's perspective. This gives the text an added feeling of realism.

Often the narrator gives contrasting descriptions of the same event from more...