Dry Pov Essay

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Samantha Gray
Ms. Cramer
Comp Period 4
15 November 2019
Dry Insight- You Never Knew Before
Have you ever wondered what people think? Everyone is a victim to their own bias and
filtered opinion created by outside means, and they can differ from your own. The collective
viewpoints of the characters in the story Dry becomes a reality in an overview of the entire book.
Each character’s views of the drought situation are different from the other but still carries the
same exhilarating and frightening emotions. With these diverse perspectives and telling's of the
same problem it allows the reader, no matter what age, to get in touch with each character and
how they are dealing with the Tap-out in Orange County California. Jarrod and Neal
Shusterman's book Dry is structured with multiple viewpoints from different aged people to help
the reader understand the situation and perspective of characters.
To begin, the main character, Alyssa, is most relatable in this book. She is an average
teenage girl, living with her parents and her brother, Garrett, in California. When the author puts
the book in her perspective its easily understood situation. The author writes about her is in an
intellectual way with a skill of leadership and making sure everyone is okay before she worries
about, herself. In the beginning of the drought she makes sure her brother and even the dog have
1 cup of water per day before she worries about her own portions (Shusterman 60). As the Tap-
Out spreads and grows more deadly every day, she must team up with some unlikely characters
to stay alive. Through this process, Alyssa grows stronger in leadership, hope and determination.
When she has to make a split decision on whether to save an old dying woman or get water and
save herself and her group members, she grabs the water. Alyssa still shows signs of kindness
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through this hardship, which allows the reader to grow a stronger bond with her and how she
treats people even in hard times unlike the other characters. She says, “I back away from her.
‘The fire’s almost at the door,’ I tell her. ‘You need to get out of here.” (Shusterman 350).
Alyssa’s small act of kindness even though she knows she is leaving the woman to die, is a
characteristic portrayed throughout the entire story to show that each character has their own
opinion of a do or die situation. The Shusterman's have shown her point of view as the backbone
of the structure of the book. Each character that comes into Alyssa’s presence plays an important
part to shape the book but, because she is the main character of the novel her view is monarch to
the others.
Alongside Alyssa, another main character who plays an important role in the point of
view is Kelton. He is a smart individual; whose family is ready for any type of apocalypse. They
have a bug-out supplied with everything anyone would need to survive for months. Along with, a
house fully supported with its own electricity, water and plumbing allowing them to live “off the
gird”. (Shusterman 179). With this level of intelligence, the author writes this teenage boy’s
viewpoint almost as an adult getting ready for the end of the world, but still acts shrewdly
trapped inside a boy’s body. When the author writes in the point of view of Kelton, the world is
his oyster, he in innovative and has a vivid memory. The reader can connect to him by the way
he acts in high risk situations and how doomsdays was only supposed to hypothetical but is
becoming a reality. Kelton’s part is written intellectually and with great strength. In this part he
says, “At least now I am filled with confidence that the fight function exists within me. And
maybe now that I know what it is, and what it feels like, perhaps I can start to control its power.”
(Shusterman 253). This quote explains how Kelton is perceived throughout the book as the smart
one and will fight to get his way and do what’s right no matter what happens. Unlike Alyssa,
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Kelton is not caring what happens to others and can control his power to the fighting function.
Kelton still plays a significant role is shaping the story alongside Alyssa.
In all, the Shusterman's book Dry structure of multiple viewpoints is an asset to the novel
as a whole to help the reader understand it more. shows clear difference between Alyssa and
Kelton by intelligence, kindness and hope. The structure of different point of views in the same
situation shows the reader what is happening in each person’s mind, how they are dealing with a
situation and how they view each other. Not only does the reader get to experience both sides of
the argument they also get the thoughts of everyone, whether they have hope to find water or
they have just given up all together. Each character's point of view contributes to the overall
main focus of the novel. All individuals present a different story element whether it be clues,
history, opinions or new information to allow the reader to go deeper into the heart of the story.
With each change in view the reader can step into the shoes of the focused character and see the
story through their eyes. The characters broke through the biases to strengthen their bond in each
other by surviving this tragedy. Alyssa and Kelton both knew each other from school and being
neighbors, but their bond in each other and to the reader grows stronger throughout the novel
when little by little pieces of information come through tying them together.
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Work Cited
Shusterman, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman. Dry. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2018.

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the reader understand the situation and perspective of characters.

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