Friday, July 9, 2010

A shift in P.O.V

On page 121, the point of view suddenly shifts from first person to third person. Why you ask? Well, be patient, that's what I am here for. From the beginning of the chapter the audience is aware of how much of a toll killing a man has taken on Tim. To all the other guys this is no big deal because after all, isn't war all about killing people? But to Tim this means something more. By having the narration switch from a first person to a third third person "all knowing" point if view, the audience is able to more clearly understand how bad Tim fells about killing this man. When the all-knowing narrator steps in and describes the dead man in full detail, the audience too begins to feel bad that he is dead. And, instead of just acting this is just another number added to the casualty list, we are able to realize that every man who died in this war had a story, and unlike this man, most went untold.

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