Point of View

The Broken Bridge by Philip Pullman is written in a third person limited narrative subjective mode. What does this mean? The third person is a narrator who tells Ginny's story; he knows all of Ginny's thoughts and feelings. The point of view is limited in that the narrator only discloses one character's feelings and thoughts, those of Ginny. Subjective narration means that thoughts and feelings are known and disclosed as the story unfolds. This is different from an omniscient point of view, whereby the narrator has knowledge of time, people, places and events, but no feelings and thoughts. This point of view is a common one used in novels of this type; it is significant because Ginny's character grows psychologically. Through the point of view, the reader is better able to understand Ginny's emotional journey toward adulthood.

In this particular novel, Ginny is on a mysterious...