Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Path to Heaven” by Mary O’Donnell is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator who has access only to Lauren’s thoughts and feelings. 

Since the story is told entirely from Lauren’s perspective, the narrator has limited knowledge of the events and other characters.

The narrator makes several assumptions about the characters, which may or may not be true. For instance, we are told that Kalina is sometimes “bright and happy” (l. 8), and at other times “she could look severe and sharp” (ll. 12-13), and “careworn” (l. 15). After Kalina makes up with her husband, Lauren thinks she looks radiant: “Her eyes were bright, and Lauren could see that a new joy flowed through Kalina, as if a healing river had overflowed its banks an...