Point of View

The short story is written from a free indirect third person point of view. This means that the narrator has the ability to move between the three main characters' perspectives with fluidity throughout the story. The story begins with the narrator situated behind Father Schwartz's lens. In these opening passages, the narrator inhabits Father Schwartz's consciousness, and reveals the "grotesque labyrinths" of his sorrowful heart and mind (73). The narrator shifts away from Father Schwartz and towards Rudolph Miller in Part II, as Rudolph begins recounting his story to the priest. In these sections, the narrator adopts Rudolph's particular vantage point, revealing the details of his "tense emotional struggle" (75). The narrator remains with Rudolph until Part III, when Carl Miller, Rudolph's father, enters the page. This section begins with Carl, and describes in detail the origins of Carl's "hard-headed," "suspicious," and "unrestful" nature (78). These details not...