Point of View

The story is written in first person from the limited perspective of Jack. He is 5 years old as the story opens, making his perspective much more limited that it might have been if he was an adult. The limited perspective means that the reader knows only what Jack knows. For example, he calls his mother Ma. He knows that she has another name but that name is never revealed to the reader. He overhears conversations that he doesn't understand, and he relates individual words or phrases that convey some meaning to the reader. This is seen when Jack and Ma are in the health care facility. Jack listens to the conversation between Ma and Dr. Clay. Jack hears a few words about Ma's state of mind and Jack's development, but he doesn't know what these words mean. This gives the reader a look at what...