The People of Paper

Saturn is the primary narrator. Plascencia presents him as a literal manifestation of the second largest planet in the solar system, immediately introducing an element of magical realism to the story. In addition, the name Saturn serves as an allusion to the early Roman god Saturn, who was the god of time and generation. Likewise, the name Saturn also connects with the astrological sign of Saturn. In astrology, Saturn represents male energy. Saturn also represents the importance of learning life’s lessons. Across the course of the novel, the character must grow to maintain control of his life and the story.

Saturn provides an omniscient, third-person point of view in reporting the thoughts and actions of the other characters, and his narration generally occurs on a left-hand column of the text. Since English speakers read text from left to right, the typographical position of his column speaks to his importance as both narrator and character.

Initially, it is unclear what motivates Saturn to report on and even control the actions of the other characters. This mystery resolves itself about halfway through the book when the character Smiley breaks into Saturn’s house and discovers the true identity of Saturn as Salvador Plascencia, the author of the novel.