Point of View

Although Uncle Monday is the central character, the story is never told from his perspective. The narration is written in past tense from the third person perspective. The events are conveyed by an unnamed narrator. This narrator is not omniscient. The narrator appears to be a type of representative for the overall village community. Each major anecdote is conveyed after being learned from different residents of the village. The narrative functions by way of the narrator relating these anecdotes to the reader. Thus, the overall narrative comprises a type of community history regarding the figure of Uncle Monday. Each anecdote is hearsay, and the veracity of each is not necessarily affirmed by the narrator or the narrative. Uncle Monday may therefore be interpreted as a figure of actual magic or as a figure that is simply perceived as magical by members of the community.

The...