Point of View

The point of view of this novel is first person. The narrator is a middle-aged man who has become unsatisfied with his life. This narrator is never named throughout the novel. This refusal to name the main character and narrator of the novel by the writer creates a situation which can be wrought both with deeper meaning and confusion for the reader.

By naming giving a name to the main character, who is also the narrator, the writer suggests that this person can be anyone, thus implying that the narrator's experiences are universal . This man can be anyone, since he has no name, place of residence, or ethnic background. The only thing the reader ever learns about this character is that both his parents tended to be heavy handed in their relationship with him and that he lives somewhere in the South. These generic characteristics allow...