Narrator and point of view

The short story “Fat” by Raymond Carver is told by an unnamed first-person narrator, as she recounts the events to her friend, Rita. At the end, there are some things she does not tell Rita, as she feels that she’s “already told her too much” (p. 7, ll.10-11): that she feels depressed, and that she feels that her life “is going to change” (p. 7, l. 15). This gives readers more insight into the narrator’s thoughts and feelings than she offers to other people, putting readers in a privileged position.

The other characters in the story are presented from the narrator's point of view. Since the narrator recounts the story to Rita, who appears to know the narrator’s co-workers, the narrator does not provide descriptions of the characters, letting their actions and words speak for themselves. For instance, Marg...