Narrator and point of view

The short story “Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies” by Salman Rushdie is told by a third-person narrator. The narrator confines himself to the perspective of Muhammad Ali throughout the story.

The narrator’s point of view is limited to what Muhammad Ali experiences. For example, he only finds out information about Miss Rehana’s life when she confesses what she did in the Embassy (p. 286, ll. 9-14). Furthermore, Muhammad Ali is taken by surprise by Miss Rehana’s failure to get a visa: “ ‘But this is tragedy!’ Muhammad Ali lamented. ‘Oh, how I pray that you had taken up my offer!’ ” (p. 286, ll. 29-30). He is also surprised to discover Miss Rehana has failed to get a visa on purpose.

The narrator also presents Muhammad Ali’s interpretation of Miss Reh...