Narrator and point of view

The short story “True Love” by Isaac Asimov is a first-person narrative. The events are conveyed by Joe, an intelligent computer program which is a character in the story.

As a computer program, Joe has unlimited access to data which gives it knowledge about other people. However, as a narrator, it has limited knowledge. For example, it does not know Milton’s background until Milton shares it with Joe: “He told me of his parents and his siblings. He told me of his childhood and his schooling and his adolescence. He told me of the young women he had admired…” (ll. 84-86)

The narrator also does not know exactly how Milton feels or thinks, as indicated by the remark “Milton seemed quite happy.” (l. 114). Milton is not emotionally intelligent (he...