Point of View

The author has constructed quite a challenge for himself by writing this novel from the point of view of a nine-year-old girl. Not only is the story seen through her eyes, for the vast majority of the book, she is the only character present. The narrator, however, is actually an omniscient third party, who tells the tale from Trisha's point of view. But by choosing an omniscient third person narrative style, Stephen King allows himself the freedom to jump occasionally into the minds of Trisha's worried family.

The author also employs the device of fictional characters in the form of hallucinations, which give Trisha an expanded point of view, and allow her to bounce her thoughts and ideas off her imaginary friends. Trisha's hero, Tom Gordon, is a central character in the novel, but he actually represents part of Trisha herself. The imaginative little girl is...