Point of View

As this is a collection of short stories, they are written in different points of view. At times they are first person, but typically they are written in the third. Another device used that affects point of view is to have a portion of the story told to the narrator through yet another character. Almost all of the stories are told in past tense, but “Nightpiece, with Figures” is told in the present tense.

The point of view of each of the stories depends primarily on the mood and atmosphere the author wishes to convey. Much of the violence is only described to the reader through another character or after the fact, and the point of view is often used to create mystery or ambiguity surrounding many of the characters. Some of the main characters in these stories are never identified by name at all...