Point of View

The novel is told from the third person point of view of Anton Starzmann, the main protagonist. The novel follows his perspective moving forward in time, though occasionally Anton has memory flashbacks of previous experiences. Hawker also uses several literary techniques to emphasize the unique experiences of her main character and to add a separate and objective point of view to the story.

Hawker includes only one chapter that is from the first person point of view for Anton - Chapter 6 - in order to demonstrate to the reader the significance of this upcoming life change for Anton (his marriage to Elisabeth). This shows how Anton feels in the middle of a world war, about to embark on a very new journey for the former friar. This chapter, and Anton’s plea, also shows the reader Anton’s concern for Germany and how he wonders...