Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Aliens” by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is told by a third-person narrator, who is limited to Peggy’s perspective. 

Readers do not know what the other characters think or feel; the only clues are given by the other characters themselves, when they confide in Peggy or when she witnesses their conversations. This is also how the readers learn about Peggy’s feelings about the other characters: “Sarla came into Peggy’s room and began to pull out drawers and ruffle absent-mindedly through Peggy’s things. She meant no harm and Peggy tried not to mind, though this was hard for her.” (ll. 168-170). The narrator also introduces Peggy’s opinions of the character in the narration itself, making it appear part of Peggy’s thought process: “Dev was looking too with those nasty sort of eyes with ...