Point of View

The Swallowed Man is predominantly written in a first-person point of view from Geppetto’s perspective. The narrative unfolds as Geppetto records his life story as well as his present-day life in a sea beast’s belly, and he is, for most of the novel, the only character who speaks directly in the novel. As such, all information and action filters through his experience. Geppetto’s point of view is unreliable, as he often seems mentally unstable due to his long confinement and his fear of his dark environment. His writing sometimes takes on a quality of mania, hysteria, or despair and reflect the profound struggle of his situation.

Geppetto’s narrative often includes breaks in the narrative for lists, diagrams, drawings, and stories. These materials help to augment Geppetto’s narrative and to show how his words match or fail to match his creations...