Point of View

The story is written in the present tense and the first person, and the narrative is shown entirely from Mitch’s perspective. Mitch is the narrator, and he is the only one of the two characters whose interior thoughts are directly conveyed to the reader. Thus, the dynamics of the relationship are filtered entirely through Mitch’s perspective. The reader must be wary, therefore, of the possibility that Mitch is an unreliable narrator. On one hand, Mitch’s complaints about the characters’ relationship appears to be supported by evidence; he complains that Mayfly is inattentive, and even as he says this, Mayfly appears to ignore him. However, because the story is brief, and because Mayfly’s interiority is not directly conveyed to the reader, the narrative may be presenting a one-sided view of the relationship.

Nonetheless, the narrative does function to demonstrate some elements of...