Points of View

The novel is told in third-person point of view, primarily through the perspective of Sonny, Dwayne and Jacy. However, the perspective changes throughout the novel depending on who is featured, and Sonny, Dwayne and Jacy are not even present in some scenes. By varying the storytelling in this way, McMurtry allows the reader to understanding the motivations and feelings of many different characters in the town of Thalia. In many ways, Thalia is also a character in the book, and it is fitting that the story be told in a way that exposes its varied inhabitants. McMurtry also brilliantly uses the perspective of characters to expose their own weaknesses, fears and desires. This is done hilariously in a scene where Jacy justifies to herself why she must go to the naked swimming party in Wichita, because it would be a wasteful sin not to go. McMurtry...