Narrator and point of view

The short story “Pill Pusher” by Carolyn A. Drake is narrated in the present tense by a first-person narrator. The narrator also makes use of the past tense when she mentions her previous choices. For example, “Ten years ago I decided to go to school for pharmacy” (l. 96). She also briefly employs the future tense when describing the things she thinks that will happen: “Heroin addict, will ask for diabetic needles for his ‘grandma’ (…)” (l. 20), “Went too far, lost it, snapped, and now I’ll be fired (…)” (l. 72).

The narrator’s point of view is limited because the text follows the action as the narrator sees and experiences it. The narrator also does not know what the customers are feeling or thinking; this becomes clear when she finally realizes that the woman is likely anxious because of her daughter’s illness and not because she is simply an unpleasant, pushy customer. Furthermore, the narrator’s point of view is limited because as readers we do not know the customer’s circumstances until th...