Point of View

Because each of the collected short stories operates as its own standalone work, all 12 are written from distinct points of view. “The History of Sound” is written from Lionel’s first-person point of view. “Edwin Chase of Nantucket” is written from Edwin’s first-person point of view. “The Silver Clip” is written from the unnamed protagonist’s first-person perspective, and “The Auk” is written from Will Hunt’s first-person point of view. In these four stories, the first-person perspective enacts the main characters’ internal experiences. Although they all experience versions of entrapment or disappointment, they all prove capable of altering their circumstances. Their first person voices enact their innate belief in themselves, even amidst their frustrations.

While “The Journal of Thomas Thurber,” is also written from the first person point of view, Thomas’s narration has a different effect. Because Thomas is writing “an account...