The author uses the omniscient point of view to tell the story, although it switches from Catherine's view at the beginning to Tony's view at the end. This means that the reader can understand Catherine's actions as well as her thoughts and feelings. Normally, a point of view will stay consistent throughout a story, but Lispector chooses to transfer the perspective to Tony at the end so that the story closes with Tony's thoughts.

The author also uses the technique of repetition throughout the story to drive home a point. During the taxi ride and Severina's departure at the train station, she nervously questions whether or not she has forgotten anything. The rhythm and pacing of this question adds to the building tension in the story until Catherine is unable to reply.

The question about forgetting something is also symbolic in that it is clear...