Point of View

Efrén Divided is written from a third person limited point of view. The author chooses to employ this lens in order to develop an intimacy between the protagonist, Efrén, and the reader. Throughout the novel, the third person limited point of view grants the reader access to Efrén’s internal thoughts, emotions, and doubts. While he does not always articulate his experiences to people in his immediate presents, the audience is aware of the difficulties that Efrén faces. By way of example, after Amá is arrested and taken away, Efrén is hesitant to tell his best friend David. He knows that David would understand but his friend has “never pitied him [and] Efrén want[s] to keep it that way” (134). While the protagonist is hiding the pain of losing his mother and the exhaustion of caretaking for his younger...