Point of view:
The perspective from which the story is told

Example:
"It was for a long time a matter of surprise to me why Mr. Covey did not immediately have me taken by the constable to the whipping-post, and there regularly whipped for the crime of raising my hand against a white man in defence of myself....."
-Frederick Douglass: An American Slave

Explanation:
Douglass writes this novel in first person for many reasons. One reason is to help him convey his message through his eyes, and deeply describe all the horrific events that happened to him. This is best believed by the readers, if the story is told by Douglass, which it is. This makes the book have a high quality of verisimilitude  which is one of Douglass' purpose.