Point of View

Although Jacob is the central character of the novel, the narrative is told from the perspectives of many different characters. The novel even tends to switch between many different perspectives within individual chapters. In the first two chapters, the narrative is told almost solely from Mrs. Flanders’ perspective, as Jacob is still quite young, and the drama in the first two chapters pertains more chiefly to Mrs. Flanders. However, once Jacob leaves Scarborough, the narrative chiefly follows him and takes on the perspectives of the many people he meets in his independent life. It is also important to note that once Jacob leaves Scarborough, the focus of the novel is generally bifurcated into two areas: Jacob’s life and his mother’s. The novel regularly revisits Scarborough to check in with Mrs. Flanders and the other residents of the town, but when Scarborough is not...