Narrator and point of view

The short story “The White Cat” by Jim Brannin is told by a third-person narrator, who follows the perspective of Hattie, the main character.

As the story is told entirely from Hattie’s point of view, the narrator has limited knowledge. For instance, we only learn what happened to the cats when Hattie overhears fragments of the mother’s speech from downstairs. Until then, we can only suspect that something might have happened to them, from the clues in the text: “Nine already, and still no door squeaks or footfalls from Mr. Jackson. Usually the cats had finished feeding by now.” (ll. 74-75) 

The narrator has access to Hattie’s thoughts and feelings, and they are presented directly in the text: “If it wasn’t for these damn lungs, she thought, I’d run downs...