Point of View and Narration

The narration of this story is in the third-person limited, but it is not a conventional third-person limited. Boyle's narrator is very close to the mind of Katherine Ames, and records her thoughts. This is essential, for at the center of the story is her growing realization that she feels that her husband stunts her emotional life - a realization that takes place completely silently.

In addition, the style in which the story is written mirrors Mrs. Ames's increasing recognition of her feelings about her husband. When the narration describes Mrs. Ames's thoughts, the sentences are long and filled with adjectives, reflecting the freedom she has in her mind. But when the narrative begins describing Mrs. Ames's actions and her interactions with the plumber, the sentences become shorter, showing how constrained she feels.

As the story progresses toward its epiphany at the end, the...