Narrator and point of view

The short story “Just Like That” by Michael Richards is told by a third-person narrator.

The narrator is limited to the perspective of the boy and only has access to his thoughts and feelings: “The boy was mesmerised by the big kangaroo. It was a magnificent beast. This one, this big one, the boy knew, would make him a man.” (p. 28, ll. 29-31). 

Because of the limited point of view, it is much more difficult to tell what the man thinks or feels. The reader instead has to make guesses based on his few lines of dialogue and his actions, but cannot be entirely sure of his motivations. 

Some of the narration is explicit, with the events described clearly and in great detail: “A small grey hopped towards him. He aimed into its chest and shot five times before it fell” (p. 27, ll. 11-13).

However, there are instances when the narration is implicit, and readers have to...