Point of View

The novel is written in the past tense and uses the limited third person. There are only two point-of-view characters in the novel: Horace and Mr. Reese. Thus, at any given time, the narration is bound either to the limits of Horace’s perspective or to the limits of Mr. Reese’s perspective. The overall novel is therefore filtered through the thoughts, experiences, and observations of these two characters. The novel juxtaposes these two perspectives in order to contrast Horace’s more naïve, inexperienced perspective with Mr. Reese’s wiser and more experienced perspective. When Horace ultimately returns to Nevada to live and work with the Reeses again, this reunion partially symbolizes the fact that Horace has become wiser regarding the pain and adversity of life, as well as regarding the value of love and loyalty.

Horace and Mr. Reese’s perspectives also help...