Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Gift” by Karen Phillips is a first-person narration. The narrator is also the main character, a woman who is divorced and is struggling to deal with the consequences of this situation, including her husband re-marrying.

Readers have extensive access to the narrator’s thoughts and flashback memories: “Guilt and relief combined to ensure that the divorce settlement was not in my favour. At times I hated Ron, but I also hated myself for what I had done.” (ll. 100-101). This encourages readers to connect with the narrator and experience the events in the story through her perspective.

The narrator comes across as subjective as she admits that she sometimes acts against her better judgment: “No one warns you that divorce turns you into a spy. (…) I mentally p...