Point of View

This story has first-person narration, and it is written in the past tense. The narrator is limited to the protagonist’s scope of knowledge. This is most evident near the end of the story, when Minnie learns that James Carson died of “apoplexy” (74) through reading the newspaper. The reader learns this through Minnie’s report during her narration, not through some omniscient narrator informing the reader of James’ demise.

The limited first-person narration is important because it allows Sui to demonstrate Minnie’s evolution into a strong, independent woman. At the beginning of the story, Minnie is desperate to appease her husband in spite of his contempt toward her. Since the narration is limited and in first-person, the reader gains insight into Minnie’s thought processes and reasoning concerning why she holds these beliefs. This complements Sui’s exploration of themes such as gender prejudice...