Narrator and point of view

The short story “Beggarland” by Alan Sillitoe is told from a third-person, limited point of view by an unknown narrator.

The narrator uses Jane's perspective. Through the third-person narration, readers gain access to Jane’s thoughts, which helps them understand more about the character: "Jane soon stopped imagining there were any mysteries about her, as she had with all the au pairs till she got used to them" (ll. 114-115).

The narrator sometimes shares some details about the other characters, but his knowledge is limited or presented from Jane’s viewpoint. For example, we learn that “Greta was adept at finding places on the map – considering she hadn’t got to within shouting distance of O Levels” (ll. 105-106). We also learn that Ben would have normally argued when Greta made him leave his plastic gun (ll. 57-58). Furthermore, the narrator reports on what the other characters are doing or saying, not their thoughts: "Greta came smiling up the steps clutching Angela’s hand. ‘It was all I could do to keep ‘em quiet’ " (ll. 163-164).

The narration is also mixed with dialogue. The third-person narrator sometime...