Point of View

The short story is written from the first person point of view of an unnamed narrator. Though the opening lines of the story are propelled by the narrator's use of first person singular pronouns, this stance soon dissipates when the narrator begins Salvatore's account. "I wonder if I can do it," says the narrator in the opening line (1). Then, without further explanation or contextualization regarding this statement, the narrator continues with the line, "I knew Salvatore first when he was a boy of fifteen with a pleasant face, a laughing mouth and care-free eyes" (1). This second line of the story connects the narrator to Salvatore. However, as the story continues to unfold, the narrator's presence becomes more and more spectral and disembodied. Indeed, the narrator's voice becomes omniscient, controlling the ordering and rendering of Salvatore's life and character. Yet the narrator never appears as an...