Narrator and point of view

The short story “A Serious Talk” by Raymond Carver is told by a third-person narrator. The narrator is uninvolved in the development of the plot and provides Burt’s perspective of the events. For example, when Burt comes to Vera’s house the day after Christmas, the narrator shows his take on the events: “Vera’s car was there, no others, and Burt gave thanks for that” (p. 16, l. 1). After opening the Christmas presents, Burt’s perspective shows that “he liked it in front of the fireplace, a glass in his hand, his house, his home” (p. 16, ll. 30-31). At the end, Burt’s take on the events shows his thoughts: “He’d tell her the goddamn ashtray was a goddamn dish, for example” (p. 21, ll. 31-32). This shows that the narrator has access to Burt’s thou...