Point of View

Afternoon of the Elves is told with third-person limited perspective. The reader is very closely allied with the character of Hillary Lenox. The reader is privy to Hillary's thoughts and emotions, and the reader discovers events and facts along with Hillary. For example, the reader learns about the reputation of Sara-Kate through Hillary thinking about the girl. The fact that the reader is restricted to Hillary's sphere of knowledge is important for some of the dramatic revelations of the story. For example, only gradually does the reader, right along with Hillary, realize the nature of Mrs. Connolly's condition, and how desperate Sara-Kate's situation is.

Allied so closely with Hillary, narration approaches subjects with a child-like innocence. The elf village is regarded with wonder, and to Hillary's mind, the whole situation is entirely plausible and real. Sara-Kate is also regarded as a kind of magical figure, and...