Narration

"The Lifted Veil" is written in the first person, meaning that the story is told entirely from the perspective of one individual, the main character, Latimer. "The Lifted Veil" is Eliot's only story written in the first person. Because the reader sees the events of the story only through the eyes of the main character, the narrative creates the effect of an internal, psychological flow of ideas. Because the story is told as it is written by Latimer over the course of the month before his death, and recalls the events of his life, beginning in childhood, it takes on the form of an intimate confession, of a dying man's last effort to clear his conscience.

Narrative Structure

The story is structured in "flashback" form, as Latimer begins the story exactly one month before he knows he's going to die, then takes the narrative back to his childhood...