A Most Wanted Man

Throughout the novel, Carre experiments with different voices for different characters. Though almost the entire story is told through third person, each chapter focuses on a different character. Sometimes scenes are even repeated to show another side of the incident. When focusing on a character, we can hear their thoughts, which creates many voices. Bachmann (a worker for the German Domestic Intelligence) has an air of athority that is desplayed both through what he says and what he thinks. He tells Annabel "We like to think we can make the weather here" (Carre 188). As the book progresses, we often find Bachmann thinking these same words to himself. He feels that he is capible of doing anything, changing things to make them work for him. Annabel has a much more changing, self doubting voice. She thinks to herself " How come she had sided with them so quickly? What had happened to the rebel in her" (Carre 189). Annabel is not nearly as confident as Bachmann and finds herself always doubting her choices and changing her mind. These differences in voice help to keep the reader focused in a very confusing plot.

The shift in voice throughout both A Most Wanted Man and In the Time of the Butterflies are used for many reasons, beyond focus. In both novels the voice shows us important character traits. We can learn so much about a character's personality by stepping into their shoes and seeing the world through their eyes. It helps explain motivation too. Changes in perspective can also show important details that were hidden to us and the character. Like in ITTB, whenever the sisters are separated, they don't know waht the others are doing. By seeing each girl, we get a fuller perspective of what is happening. For these reasons I believe that in both AMWM and ITTB the change in voice enriches the story in many ways.