Narrator and point of view
As a first-person narrator of “The Chemist’s Assistant” by Moya Roddy, Colette has a limited point of view and only reveals what she experiences first-hand or what the others tell her. For example, she does not know anything about her mother’s condition, except for what her aunt lets her know: “Did I tell you my mother’s always ill? Nobody knows what’s wrong with her but my Auntie says it all started when my brother was born dead. That was before I was born so I don’t know” (ll. 28-30).
Note that in this example, she addresses the readers directly as “you”, using a narrative technique called breaking the fourth wall and forging a connection with her audience.
In addition to this, Colette does not know what the police officer wants with Mussola,...
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