Narrator and point of view

The short story “Paki” by Guaram Malkani is told from the point of view of a first-person narrator. The narrator is also one of the main characters, Jas, who is the newest member of a gang of South Asian boys. 

The narrator recounts the events using a humorous tone: “After spittin his words out Hardjit stopped for a second, like he expected one of us to write them down or someshit. Then he adds an exclamation mark by kickin the white kid in the face again”. At times, his comments appear not only self-aware but also ironic and slightly mocking: 

The three of us spoke in sync like we were performing some blonde American cheerleader routine. Hardjit Hardjit, he's our man, if he can't bruck-up goras, no one can. Ravi then delivers his standard solo routine. -Yeh blud, safe, innit. 

These comments poke fun at the gang’s dynamic, where Hardjit is a clear leader and the others cheer him on. 

The narrator also helps to contextualize the events of the story. For example, he explains that he is jealous of Hardjit for the effortlessly cool way he speaks and wishes he could be the same: “Like they say, it’s all bout what you say an how you say it. Your linguistic prowess an debating dexterity (though for God...