Narrator and point of view

“The Little Black Dress” by Clifford Thurlow is a short story rendered by a third-person anonymous narrator who functions as an observer of the protagonist and her whereabouts.

The third-person narrator has unlimited knowledge regarding Vicky and knows what she thinks or feels: “She comes to a stop outside a shop and gazes up at a little black dress that is short, sleeveless, unassuming. Like me, she thinks.” (ll. 3-4); “She remembers the poor people in Guatemala as she brews Kenyan roast and thinks about the Small Things.” (ll. 219-220)

Although the narrator knows what happens inside Vicky’s mind, he is ambiguous and does not offer many details when it comes to the night Vicky is out in town. This is why both readers and Vicky are unclear with regards to the events and do not know the truth – whether Vicky is hallucinating, dreaming or whether she indeed experiences a magical trip to the past: ...