Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the first person and the past tense from Wash’s perspective. Wash directly narrates the events of his life as he looks back on them, and thus his perspective dominates the narrative and shapes its tone and focus. The use of the first person allows the reader to gain direct access to Wash’s thoughts and feelings as he undergoes the many challenges and traumas of racial oppression and persecution. Because Wash is the narrator and protagonist, the reader becomes more directly invested in his goals of freedom, safety, and self-actualization. Additionally, Wash’s various moments of defeat and trauma become more immediate to the reader.

Despite the fact that the narrative maintains consistent fidelity to Wash’s perspective, the representation of other character perspective is also necessary to the novel’s overall thematic processes. One of the...