Point of View

Sharpe's Sword is told by an omniscient third person narrator and comes primarily from the perspective of the protagonist Richard Sharpe. However, the narrator can and does access the thoughts of other characters, and he does so often at length and in unexpected moments.

The perspective of Sharpe gives the novel its predominant tone and voice. Richard Sharpe is an officer in the British army who has seen many battles. He tends to view things in pragmatic terms. Sharpe's background as an impoverished orphan also colors his perspective. Sharpe's calm reserve in the face of danger and his understanding of the unfairness of the control by the rich and powerful governs the way Sharpe and sometimes the audience understands situations and events.

Because the narrator can access and relay the inner thoughts of characters other than Sharpe, the reader often feels events more intensely than if...