Point of View

This novel is written from the point of view of a third-person narrator. This narrator follows the actions of main character Newman as he tries to maneuver through the snobbish French culture. Although the narrator gives the reader insight into Newman's thoughts and actions, he does not give insights into to thoughts and actions of the other characters. The reader is given the job, just as Newman is, of trying to figure out why the people around him are acting they way in which they are.

The point of view of the third-person narrator works the best for the story that James hopes to tell. The main theme of the story deals with the differences that Newman encounters when travels to France. If James had chosen a different character to highlight in the novel, one of the characters more acquainted with the French culture perhaps, there...