Second Foundation | Style

Second Foundation Style

Point of View

Asimov writes from an omniscient point of view, entering the minds of all the main characters and some of the minor ones. Interestingly, the characters he does not represent in any depth are the Second Foundationers. Initially, the reader may see these characters as shallow, but as the book progresses and the reader discovers their identity it serves to highlight those characters as psychologically strong, suggesting they are defending themselves against the possibility of someone reading their mind. For example when Arcadia is walking downstairs for breakfast, she overhears Preem Palver telling his wife Kalgan has declared war on the Foundation. His wife tells him to shut up because she does not want Arcadia to know. At the end of the book, the reader finds out Preem Palver is the Second Foundation's First Speaker and therefore he probably planned for Arcadia to overhear in order for her to persuade him...
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