Point of View and Narration

"Mrs. Spring Fragrance" uses "author omniscient" narration, meaning that an outside voice describes the incidents of the story and is privy to the thoughts and feelings of each of the characters. By knowing the inner thoughts of the major characters of the story, the reader can form an opinion about them. For example, knowing the university student's motives in attending the "smoking party," and Mr. Spring Fragrance's mistake in prematurely judging American culture, helps the reader understand that they are both enacting racial prejudice.

Dramatic Irony

Much of the plot of "Mrs. Spring Fragrance" depends on characters being misinformed or ignorant of others's actions while the reader is fully aware of all the situations going on at one time. This is called "dramatic irony." Mr. Spring Fragrance's anger and anxiety hinges on his ignorance of his wife's real motives for visiting San Francisco. This...