Point of View

Nick Cutter writes his novel “The Troop” from the third-person omniscient perspective. This is done for at least three reasons, all relating to the atmosphere of horror. The first is to provide contextual information for the reader in order to add to the horror. For example, Cutter explains what is happening to the thin man’s stomach—unknown to himself or to the boys on the island—as the novel gets underway. This chills the reader, and allows the reader to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that something is very wrong with the man. The second is to provide contextual information on the situation to increase terror. While the boys do not understand what is happening, the reader comes to understand what is happening through the insertion of articles, testimonies, and excerpts from speeches. This increases the horror and suspense because the reader...