Point of View

North Sun uses a flexible third person point of view that moves among several key characters, allowing the novel to explore whaling from multiple moral and emotional angles. Much of the story follows Arnold Lovejoy in a close third person, tracking his memories, doubts, and rationalizations as he accepts the Ashley commission, drives the Esther into the ice, and witnesses Benjamin Leander’s final confession. This vantage point gives readers access to his mixture of pride and fear, and it shows how a basically conscientious man can talk himself into complicity with a violent system. When the narrative shifts to Sarah Ashley, the close third person reveals a different kind of entrapment, one shaped by class, gender, and the oppressive presence of the Ashley house. Through Sarah’s perspective, the book emphasizes the distance between owners and sailors and shows how someone can live within...