Point of View

The point of view of "Wieland" is first person. The narrator is not entirely reliable. She is relating past events in which she was a participant, but her state of mind is clearly troubled which leads the reader to question her recollections and their accuracy. Clara changes from past to present tense when particularly passionate or troubled. Her narrative is broken by frequent interjections about the horror what is to come next in the story and her own fate when the story is complete.

The story is mostly told through Clara's own recollection of events. It is interspersed, however, with extended passages of another character's words. These are related from Clara's memory and can thus be judged somewhat suspect and influenced by Clara's own viewpoint and emotions. The exception is Wieland's confession which is copied from a courtroom transcript.

The narrative is in the form of...