Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story “Rendezvous” by Daniel Ransom has several elements of modernist literature. One of them is the use of the literary device “stream of consciousness”. The method is used by writers to present the many thoughts which cross a person’s mind at any given time. 

Another modernist element is the switch in perspective from one character to another. The story is told from two alternating points of view: that of the criminal, and that of the victim, whose paths will converge at the end. This narrative method allows the reader to experience the same event through two contrasting perspectives. 

The symbols present in the story also point to the story being modernist. Most of these symbols refer to physical objects present in the text, such as Payton’s tattoo, and Kim’s apple. But there are also symbolic meanings which can be ascribed to musical sounds, in accordance ...