Point of View

Most of the stories in this collection are told from third person perspective, from the point of view of one main character. Occasionally stories have a more omniscient narrator, with the author as voice-of-god rather than telling the story from any particular character's point of view. This allows the narrator to focus on the feelings of characters where appropriate, particularly in stories about human emotions and suffering, like 'The Fog Horn,' 'The April Witch' and 'The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl.' It also allows him to draw back when appropriate, to look at the story from a more distant perspective, which encourages the reader to address the story with their own views and questions. This is particularly effective in stories like 'The Flying Machine' and 'The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind' in which ethical dilemmas are raised.

There are only two stories...