Narrator and point of view
The short story “a strong dead man” by Daniel Alarcón is narrated by a limited third-person narrator. The limited point of view is suggested by the fact that the narrator knows only what Rafael, the main character, is thinking and feeling, and does not have access to the thoughts and feelings of the other characters. Often the narrator adapts Rafael’s perspective:
All dead men don't fall from the sky. They don't all float down the Hudson and come to rest against smooth moss-covered rocks at the water's edge. Some of them are your fathers, your uncles. Some of them lose the battle slowly. Some die hating the world. (ll. 166-168)
Here, the narrator seems to describe Rafael’s reflections as a result of his father’s illness, his experience with the body in the river, and hearing Mario’s story.
The narrator also states the following about Rafael’s mother: “She had no interest in ever waking up.” (l. 140). While this ...