With any novel, we have to start with the narrative voice and, as I like to think of it, the narrative camera. Traditionally, we think of narrative being first-person or third-person (second-person narration does exist but is quite rare outside of the old “Choose your own adventure” books), and third-person as being either omniscient or limited. Into which category does this novel’s narration fit? Where does Mailer place the camera, meaning from what perspective or perspectives do we view the action? Does the narrator of The Naked and the Dead have a distinct voice or personality? If so, describe it.
Consider characterization in the novel. Mailer gives us a large number of characters. How does he make them distinct? Or does he? Which characters stand out to you? Which, if any, have earned your sympathy or your antipathy at this point? How?
In his introduction, Mailer describes the novel as the work of an amateur — though one should note that the root of amateur is the Latin amo, meaning “I love.” In other words, an amateur is someone who does something for love, not money. He notes that the style suffers from “Over certified adjectives” but suggests that it has “vigor.” What he seems most proud of, however, is what he says he learned from Tolstoy: a “compassion” that is “severe.” Do you find evidence of that severe compassion in the chapters you have read so far?