Point of View

The story is written in third person from the limited perspective of Frances Wray. The limited perspective makes it impossible for the reader to know the true thoughts and feelings of other characters. An important example of this limitation is seen in Lilian's motivation for killing Leonard. It could be that she merely acted in the heat of the moment and that she didn't mean to kill him but it could also be that she wanted Leonard dead and saw the opportunity to get away with killing him. Lilian speaks of her wish that Leonard were dead prior to the murder but never speaks of a plan to carry it out. Lilian also claims to have forgotten about the large life insurance policy she inherits upon Leonard's death, but Frances doesn't completely believe her. The fact that the reader never sees into Lilian's true thoughts...