Point of View

Mosquito Coast is told in first person past tense, from the point of view of Charlie Fox, the son of protagonist Allie Fox. As his father's constant companion, Charlie is in a unique position to observe the man's progression into mania and eventual meltdown. As Father's constant companion and best audience, Charlie is in a perfect position to appreciate his father's inventive genius and charm.

When Charlie matures, his view of Father changes. Unremarkable events, such as Father's sojourn in a mental hospital when Charlie was younger and his shock treatments, begin to assume greater significance. When Father begins to claim, without any evidence, that the U.S. has been destroyed and that Fox is the last white man alive, Charlie is sufficiently mature to want proof. Throughout the novel, Charlie serves as the voice of reason. He urges his Mother to take the family to...