Point of View

A Long Petal of the Sea is written from the third person point of view. Because the narrative traces the lives and experiences of a diverse network of characters, this third person narrator acts as a guide for the reader. The narrator primarily assumes an omniscient stance, and thus can move between each of the main character’s distinct and intricate spheres. For example, after describing Victor Dalmau’s experiences working as a medic with “the ‘Baby Bottle Conscription” during the Spanish Civil War in Chapter 1, in Chapter 2, the narrator shifts to Roser Bruguera’s story and life “at Professor Dalmau’s house” (28). Over the course of the novel, the narrator similarly alternates between varying characters, settings, and spheres. Although the temporal era acts as one container for the characters’ diverse experiences, the third person omniscient narrator is their primary formal connection.

The third person...