Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Good Samaritan” by Charles Ardai is told by a third-person narrator. The narrator provides different perspectives, according to the characters present in the scenes. 

For example, Harold Sladek’s perspective is presented in the first scene: “You’re on the street, you can’t be too careful, Harold told himself. Careful keeps you alive” (p. 87, ll. 4-5). Angela’s perspective is also presented: “Something in his voice put her off” (p. 90, l. 1). This offers readers an insight into the minds of Arthur’s victims, showing how they perceive him.

Most of the time, the narrative focuses on the detective’s perspective: “I’d kill the son of a bitch, the detective said. To himself” (p. 91, l. 8). His perspective is also presented towards the end, when he thinks about the flaws of the criminal justice system: “He thought of the digital recorder in his pocket, quietly capturing a record of their words, and pictured this grandfatherly man standing in front of a jury…” (p. 97...