Point of View

This poem is told from the third-person point of view from the perspective of an invisible external narrator. This is established in the opening line, which describes two characters: “The prince leans to the girl in scarlet heels” (Line 1). This creates the sense that the reader, and perhaps the speaker themselves, are looking down at a fairy tale tableau. The first two stanzas are largely objective, describing the scene through its concrete details. This gives the story an establishing, “wide lens” effect. In the latter two stanzas, however, the speaker moves closer to the “girl in scarlet heels” and reveals hints of her thoughts and feelings, as well as her sensory perception: “She hears the caustic ticking of the clock” (Line 14). In doing so, the speaker brings the reader closer to the central characters and creates a deeper sense of narrative.

Language and Meaning

Although...