Point of View

The story is written in the third person and the past tense. Although the narration is written in the third person, it is not omniscient, and it is instead limited to Isis’s perspective. Isis is the only character on whom inner thoughts and emotions are directly exposited. The thoughts and emotions of other characters can only be inferred by the reader based on their words and actions. Generally, the other characters’ thoughts and emotions are fairly evident. For example, Grandma Potts always directly communicates her anger and frustration with Isis, and the white people directly communicate their delight with Isis. This contrast is notable in that even the perspectives of other characters appear to generally be focused upon Isis over the course of the story, as she consistently becomes the central concern of the narrative.

The narrative attention of Isis’s perspective, thoughts, and...