Narrator and point of view

The short story “Mother of the City” by Christopher Fowler is narrated from a first-person, limited point of view by the protagonist, a man named Douglas. The first-person narration allows readers to access the narrator’s inner thoughts and understand more about the character, the events, and his perspective on them.

The narrator’s limited point of view is illustrated through the fact that he conveys his thoughts and feelings but does not have access to what the other characters are thinking or feeling. This can be observed, for example, when Douglas does not understand why Michelle is attracted to him: “What could she see in me? (…) Did she simply prefer plain men?” (p. 80, ll. 1-3).

However, Douglas is perceptive enough to have an insight into some characters. For example, he is able to notice that...