Point of View

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is the way it shifts between different points of view from between first and third-person perspective and between omniscience and subjectivity. Tense also changes frequently from past tense to present tense and vice-versa in addition to switching back and forth between memory and current circumstances. This shifting has a couple of effects. It creates a clear sense for the reader of just how fragmented Kien's experiences have left his psyche. This also implies that the experiences of his fellow soldiers in this particular war and any war can become just as fragmented. In many ways, this narrative is in the style of a stream of consciousness where the reader is taken into Kien's thoughts, feelings, and memories. There also the clear sense that it is the author's intent to bring the experience of war vividly into the...