Point of View

Lucius Priest, the 11-year-old main character of the novel, narrates the story using a first person point of view. Lucius' narrative is honest, thoughtful, and innocent, lending credibility to the novel as a whole. His reflections on the characters of the novel, as well as his observations of their behaviors, allow the reader to learn the personalities of those characters well, aiding in the understanding of the major themes within the novel. This first person narrative is necessary in order to lend an authentic feel to the events within the story. As told by a young child, the innocence through which Lucius explains events allows readers to make their own decisions of character values, without narrator bias. Further, since the story is primarily centered on Lucius' journey of maturation and change, this first person narrative is necessary.

Setting

The novel is centered in three primary locations...