Characterization of the narrator

The main character and narrator of the short story “The Castle” by Chloë Heuch is a recently divorced mother of three children. Her eldest son, Osian, is 12, while her other two children, Luke and Cai, seem to be much younger.

The visit to the castle is the first outing that the narrator takes her children on after the divorce. The narrator sees the trip to the castle as “a test” and a way to prove to herself and the children that she can do her job as a single parent. 

Because of the pressure she feels under, the narrator is deeply frustrated whenever something seems to go wrong. She is annoyed that she spends a long time looking for a parking spot and disappointed that her eldest son does not...