Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Vigilante” by John Steinbeck is a third-person narration. The narrator, who is outside the plot, uses Mike’s perspective to convey the story. The narrator knows what Mike feels and thinks: “His brain told him this was a terrible and important affair, but his eyes and his feelings didn't agree. It was just ordinary.” (p. 1, ll. 37-38)

The narration is limited to what Mike knows, finds out, or observes. For instance, the bartender is not named until he tells his name to Mike: “ ‘My name's Welch,’ the bartender said. ‘I only been in this town about two years.’ ” (p. 4, ll. 11-12)

Similarly, we do not know exactly when the African-American died and only have Mike’s estimations about the time of death: “… ‘went over and hit his...