The point of view in the novel is that of the omniscient ("all-seeing") third-person narrator. This narrator (who is, for all intents and purposes, Stowe herself) describes and relates settings, characters, and action; she can also relate the thoughts and feelings of any of the characters (as, for example, she tells us here what Shelby thinks of Haley, but not what Haley himself thinks). Stowe's narrator uses this insight into the minds and hearts of the characters fairly arbitrarily throughout the book, relating some (but not all) characters' thoughts some (but not all) of the time. The narrator may also tell us things about the characters and events, rather than showing them through action (as, for example, she tells us what kind of woman Mrs. Shelby is), and at times she may speak directly to the reader in her own voice, which is sometimes earnest, sometimes angry, sometimes amused, sometimes sarcastic, and so on. Stowe uses this function of the narrator's voice to underscore points made in the book's action.
One of the most important rhetorical strategies throughout the novel is Stowe's use of irony (which may be defined as "a reversal of expectations in service of the truth"). At least four different types of irony operate in Chapter 1, and examining each of them will show the reader what to expect in further chapters.
When Shelby, after listening to Haley praise himself, says to Haley, "It's a happy thing to be satisfied," Shelby is using verbal irony, saying one thing (and expecting to be understood that way) but meaning another (and enjoying the second meaning privately). The meaning he expects Haley to hear is something like, "I'm glad you admire yourself; you deserve to be admired." The meaning Shelby himself hears (as does the reader) is quite different: "It's lucky you like yourself, because no one with a brain would judge you so well." Characters, as well as the narrator, frequently use this kind of irony; in fact, a character's use of irony is one of the features that Stowe uses to reveal certain characters.
