Point of View

The book is written from the third person point of view. The third person is omniscient in that the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters. Tom Clancy, the author, is obviously the narrator. There are plenty of quotes throughout the book in which the characters speak directly, but it is the narrator that fills in the gaps. It is the narrator that helps develop the characters and the settings. Since the author is very familiar with the areas in which the novel takes place, he is able to give good and realistic descriptions of the areas.

The use of the third person is more informative for the reader. It allows the reader to find out about things that happen outside the presence of the main character. The first person is limited in that the reader sees all of the action through the...