Point of View

Two Serious Ladies is written from the third person point of view. In Chapter 1, this third person narrator primarily traces Miss Goering's thoughts, feelings, and experiences. However, the narrator is not entirely limited to Miss Goering's psyche or lens. For example, in the scene at Anna's party, the narrator attends to multiple characters' perspectives within the course of a single page. In one moment, the narrator says: "Miss Goering neglected to answer Mrs. Copperfield because for the last second or two she had been staring at a stout dark-haired man" (15). A moment later when Arnold joins their company, the narrator shifts behind Mrs. Copperfield's lens, saying: "Mrs. Copperfield was so annoyed at the interruption that she neglected to introduce Miss Goering to the gentleman" (15). Such shifts grant perspective on Miss Goering's character, while also complicating the reader's understanding of each scene and relational dynamic. In...