Point of View

"The Song of the Lark" is told through the third person point of view. Although the narrator is all knowing and includes insights into all of the characters thoughts and motives, the emphasis of the story is on Thea and her development as a woman and a singer. Although a first person point of view might have worked for this book, it is better suited to the third person point of view. This is because third person point of view allows the narrator to share information about other characters, even when Thea isn't part of the action.

Thea's story is told mostly through exposition. Throughout the novel Cather describes the lifestyles and backgrounds of different characters. She also puts much emphasis on describing the settings on which the action occurs. There is not a great deal of dialogue. This lack of dialogue may simply be a...