from kaffir boy what point of view is this book written? how do point of viewand characterization help achieve yhe author"s purpose

The story is told from a first person narrator, namely,
Mark Mathabane. The entire story is his autobiography.

The
first person narrative voice means that we as readers are receiving the story much in
the same way we would hear a story from a friend.  We learn about Mark's thoughts,
words, and actions. We only hear about other character's thoughts and words by way of
Mark.  The first person narrative voice allows the author to show an up close and
personal look at life in Alexandra. The narrative voice helps the author achieve his
purpose of telling a tale about a man who has overcome adversity and escaped an
oppressive political system. If the story were told from a different narrative
perspective, such as the third person narrative voice, readers may not feel as connected
to Mark's story. Readers may not feel as though they were in Mark's shoes, as they
likely do while reading the story as it stands.

The first
person narrative is effective in that it places us in the narrator’s shoes. We only have
access to her/his thoughts and what she/he observes. We feel as though the narrator is a
friend relating a story to us.  The first person narrative allows readers to see
directly into a character’s mind. The first person narrator makes the story more
personal.

In contrast, the third person
omniscient narrative is effective in that it gives the reader access to the thought,
feelings, actions, and expressions of all the characters in the story. This gives the
reader a view of the action that they could not get from a first person narrative. The
third person omniscient narrative perspective provides more information than what we are
used to having access to in our daily lives. If this story were told from the third
person omniscient perspective, the story would create a vastly different impression on
the reader.