Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Stack” by Rose Tremain is told in the present tense. This helps emphasise the fact that the third person narrator most probably shares John McCreedy’s point of view, following the events as he experiences them: “The pub, he thinks but doesn’t say. With the fellas from work. Get the Guinness down. Tell some old Dublin jokes. Laugh till you can’t laugh anymore.” (ll. 10-11).

The story is told from a third-person, omniscient point of view by an unknown narrator. Through the third-person narration, readers also gain access to John McCreedy’s internal monologue, which helps them understand more about the character.

The narrator’s omniscience can be observed in the fact that he also gives readers insight into the other character’s minds. For example, we learn that Katy is starting to have doubts about her father’s idea ...