Point of View

The novel is narrated from the third person present omniscient point of view, in general from the perspective of its central character, the Prince. There are diversions; for example, the novel frequently explores the feelings, motivations, and experiences of other characters, particularly Tancredi, Angelica, and in the final chapter when the Prince is dead, Concetta. Another diversion is the detour the narrative takes into the life and perspective of Father Pirrone in Chapter Five - as suggested above, this detour serves the apparent purpose of developing one of the novel's secondary themes - The (Futile) Power of Money. A third type of diversion is the way in which the narrative occasionally offers glimpses into the future lives and deaths, of the characters. The purpose of these diversions seems to be to develop a sense of irony, that the characters do not and cannot recognize either the...