A number of the stories [in The Lamp At Noon and Other Stories] are narrated from the viewpoint of a young boy between the ages of ten and fifteen. While he seldom felt inclined to use a distinctive idiom or dialect, such as Twain adopted for Huck Finn, Ross nonetheless wanted this youthful narrative voice to seem fresh and natural. He was also aware, from his own experience, that prairie farm boys in the 1930s entered early into the world of adult responsibility. The grim facts of the Depression required a maturity of outlook far beyond their years. Ross sought to combine the natural impulsiveness of youth with the tempered understanding and quiet acceptance of the adult world. Yet the meanings which the stories unfolded often demanded a kind of insight—and a phrasing of that insight—far beyond the limited powers of a young boy…. Twain would not have allowed Huck such big words as "august," "compliance," "inordinately proud" or "downright bigotry" [used by the boy in "Cornet at Night"]. (pp. 9-10)
Here and there, we may feel that the narrative voice grows slightly strained:
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Read the rest of this Criticism with our Ross, (James) Sinclair 1908–: Critical Essay by Robert D. Chambers Access Pass.
