Point of View

Solaris is narrated in the first person from the point of view of Kris Kelvin, a psychologist who journeys to the planet Solaris in order to study it. Kelvin gives the perspective of an outsider arriving at the station in the midst of a mystery. The reader sees only what Kelvin sees, and so the reader is drawn into the mystery as small pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

The first person point of view also traps the reader in Kelvin's mind, much as every human being is trapped in his or her own mind. Kelvin can only see what his particular personality, mind, and body allow him to realize. Because of this, Kelvin misses certain implications, such as the sudden appearance of his disturbing dreams after the scientists begin broadcasting X-rays modulated by Kelvin's brain waves into the ocean. Is this contact with the ocean...