Narrator and point of view

The short story “I See You Never” by Ray Bradbury is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator. 

The narrator has insight into the thoughts and feelings of the main characters, Mrs. O’Brian and Mr. Ramirez. In this way, the narrative shows how the parting affects both of them. Mr. Ramirez remembers his favorite things and activities in America and looks longingly at the surroundings, while Mrs. O’Brian remembers her visit to Mexico, which left an unfavorable impression on her.

The narrator also appears to have insight into the minds of the minor characters, such as the policemen. For instance: “The policemen leaned forward, lured by the odor” (p. 108, ll. 43-44), and “The policemen did not touch him. There was no necessity for that.” (p. 108, ll. 115-116). This might suggest the narrator is omniscient.

At the end of the story, the narrator is implicit about how Mrs. O’Brian’s realization that she will never see Mr. Ramirez again affects her. We are given no insight into her thoughts at this point, and we only witness her words and gestures: “she stared at the closed door. She laid down her knife and fork (...) ‘I just realized’, said Mrs. O’Brian – she put her hand to her face – I’ll never see Mr. Ramirez again’ ” (p. 110, ll. 10-12). From the implicit narration, we can determine she is deeply startled and unsettled, which might lead to a change in her worldview.

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