Point of View

Dawn’s point of view, while written in the third person, hews entirely to the perspective of Lilith Iyapo. Indeed, the narrator is given limited omniscience, and the reader is often subjected to extended trains of thought that Lilith goes through as she attempts to better understand and negotiate the adverse circumstances in which she finds herself.

This particular narrative style affords Butler a number of practical advantages that transcend mere stylistic decision-making. In the first place, the narrative point of view Butler chooses is integral to the novel’s philosophical and thematic projects. Lilith gradually loses her own humanity and autonomy as the novel goes on, allowing incremental changes to be made to her psychology and physiology in the name of survival. In some respects, the novel is a reflection on the ways in which captive people come to accept and integrate with their...