Narrator and point of view

The narrator of “Closer” by David Malouf is Amy, a nine-year-old Pentecostal girl. The events are told from the perspective of a first-person narrator, so you should consider the narrator’s reliability. First of all, note that the narrator is a child; second of all, bear in mind that first-person narrators are generally subjective and, consequently, readers are influenced to empathise with the narrator and take his/her side.

In our case, however, Amy tries to be objective and not to take sides in the argument between her family and her Uncle Charles. Although she is clearly influenced by her family’s religious beliefs, Amy still tries to think for herself and analyse the reasons why Charles is seen as an outcast. Even though she does not take sides, several quotations indicate that she develops into an inquisitive and analytical girl, able to deal with complex concepts:

But I don’t understand about love any more than I do about death. It seems harder than anyone can bear to stand on one side of the fence and have Uncle Charles stand there on the other. As if he were already dead, and death was stronger than love, which surely cannot be. (p. 15, ll. 20-24)

However, Amy’s unusual way of...