The Point of View

The point of view in the short story “The Ladder” by Sheila Purdy is an important element that helps create the mood and the atmosphere. As you have seen, the narrator adopts Annie’s point of view and even becomes her inner voice. This is seen through the use of the personal pronoun “you” or the adjective “your”, employed many times throughout the short story: “On the eighth floor of Virtual Processes & Systems Corporation you hang up your jacket in the still kitchen, kick off your runners and get into your Crocs.” (ll. 1-2)

Annie’s ‘inner voice’ becomes the voice of her conscience. It is like Annie’s conscience separates from her body and watches her from a close distance: “With the mug in your hand, you sidle out the back way to the seating area for a quick smoke under the tree.” (ll. 11-12)

This inner voice has the ability to make Annie aware of her new task, but it is also the one that makes her anxious:

“In the two years you’ve been here, you’ve never done more than clear the big tab...