Point of View

Dorothy Parker tends to write short stories in a third person point of view. With rich character and setting descriptions, the reader is able to get a good sense of the story as a whole since the third person allows the reader to have the whole story encapsulated in an objective view rather than through the eyes of a specific character. This point of view is particularly effective in stories such as The Wonderful Old Gentleman, which relies heavily on description of the Bains home and the character of the sisters. Although it would be tempting to write the story from the point of view of Mrs. Bains, who is clearly the most affected character, Parker chooses to let the reader observe and decide for himself the characters' place and behavior as the story expands.

The poetry is written with a combination of the first and...