Point of View

This Earth of Mankind is primarily told in first person by the narrator, Minke. However, there are times in the novel when other points of view are used. For instance, in Chapter Five, the narration switches to first person by Annelies. While she tells the story in first person, it is actually about a third person, her mother. Within Annelies' narration, the point of view switches to Nyai's first person, and it alternates between first person Annelies and first person Nyai, before finally resuming with first person Minke.

This switching of narrators happens mostly when something needs to be told where Minke was not present. Nyai's back-story, Annelies' rape, Jean Marais' experiences in wars, Robert Mellema's downfall, Maiko's prostitution, and Ah Tjong's involvement in these last two, are all told using first person by the individuals involved. This leads the readers to trust more in what...