Narrator and point of view

The short story “Kiss” by Elizabeth Baines is a third-person narration. The narrator is outside the plot but has extensive knowledge of the three main characters and their background. 

For example, the narrator knows how the young man and woman feel when they first meet: “…that was just how they saw each other: he on his bristling guard, she potentially afraid and ashamed…” (ll. 23-24). This shows that the narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of both characters. Sharing these details helps the characters to come across as more authentic, and enables readers to relate to their stories. 

However, the narration is limited to the perspective of the three key characters. For example, we know how the woman felt about the abuse, but not if her mother knew about it: “But did her mother guess anyway? She would wonder that, years later.” (l. 47). The narrator here pr...