Point of View

The story is written in the limited third person, specifically from Marya’s perspective. Marya is the story’s protagonist, and although the narration is written in the third person, it often conveys Marya’s thoughts directly, so as to better illustrate her emotional dynamics. The main dramatic tension of the story derives from Marya’s deep unhappiness with her life. She was born into wealth and lived in a large city, but circumstances have left her isolated. Her parents died when she was young, and she now works in a remote area of the countryside. The narration’s insights into her thoughts reveal a general sense of despair, loneliness, and lack of fulfillment.

Despite the fact that the narration never directly conveys the thoughts of the supporting characters, those characters’ perspectives become at least partially evident via their words and actions. For example, Hanov...