Point of View

“Cut and Thirst” is written from the third person point of view. Throughout the short story, this third person narrator alternates between inhabiting various of the main characters’ consciousnesses. The narrator therefore employs free indirect discourse, meaning that she at times filters portions of the narrative body through the perspectives of the characters’ lenses. The author teaches the reader these point of view rules within the opening scene of the short story. For example, the narrator describes Myrna, Leonie, and Chrissy’s regular meetings as follows: “They’re eating olives, and thin crackers made out of pecans, with a new kind of cheese . . . that Leonie sourced at Nancy’s Cheese Shop. Nancy is always reliable, in their opinion. If you say, ‘Not too bland, but not too smelly,’ she knows what you mean. If only you could preselect your social acquaintances that way, thinks Myrna...