Point of View

The story is written in the third-person omniscient point of view and set in the past tense. That is, the narrator stands outside of the story and knows things that the reader and possibly the characters do not, like the chance of rain in the air. The narrator functions more as a self-aware voice of authority than a neutral observer, evidenced in the opening sentences when the narrator singles out the policeman's “habitual” “impressiveness” (214). This description suggests that the narrator knows the policeman's routines well enough to make such praiseworthy assessments of his ability, character, and motivation. In immediately establishing the policeman's exemplary goodness, the narrator makes clear that his character will provide the narrative's privileged perspective and moral center.

In contrast, when the narrator shifts the focus to the story's other two characters, they are mainly described in terms of external characteristics, some vague...