Narrator and point of view

The short story “One Friday Morning” by Langston Hughes is narrated by a limited third-person narrator. The narrator has insight into Nancy Lee’s thoughts, feelings, and background, and often borrows her perspective: “The thrilling news did not come directly to Nancy Lee, but it came in little indirections that finally added themselves up to one tremendous fact: she had won the prize!” (p. 1, ll. 1-2). Here, we are only made aware of Nancy Lee’s limited knowledge of how the art competition is evolving, learning more about it as the action unfolds.

Nancy Lee’s perspective is combined with the narrator’s observations on her actions, thoughts, and feelings: “ ‘But my speech,’ Nancy Lee said, ‘was about . . .’ The words stuck in her throat. ‘. . . about America.’ ” (p. 8, ll. 26-27). Another example of this is: “Among them was the voice of a dark girl whose cheeks were suddenly wet with tears, ‘. . . one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ ” (p. 10, ll....