Point of View

The story adopts the traditional mode of third-person omniscience. In other words, the author/ narrator relates the entire story to the reader, but since the entire plot is dependent on the revelation taking place at the end, the narrator does not reveal all the aspects of character at the beginning. While the narrator is forthcoming about all the peripheral goings-on in the story, s/he is careful not to reveal to the reader anything more than would be evident to any passerby. The reader sees the plot as it is being enacted, despite the presence of the omniscient narrator. The use of dialogue throughout the story serves the function of providing multiple points of view without altering the overall authority of the narrator.

Style

One aspect of Narayan's writing that has been noted time and again is the remarkably simple style he consistently adopts. For those...