Point of View

The story is told in the third person by an omniscient narrator. This choice enables the reader to see into the minds of each of the characters in this large cast where there are different personality types and members of various social groups represented. The all-knowing narrator is able to inform the reader what each person thinks and feels concerning life in Germany under the Nazi regime. It would be difficult, for example, if the story had been told from the Quangels point of view to understand the loss and fear experienced by Frau Rosenthal as she struggled to survive on her own. However, the narrator can speak for her which allows readers to not only understand her plight as a Jewish woman in an oppressive regime but also authentically sympathize with her. As she spends her first few hours alone in Judge Fromm's apartment...