The use of the third-person voice has a dual effect. There seems to be a coldness, apart from the literal references, and a sense of remoteness about this story, and it stems from the tone, ibid. The external setting is cold — Vera hates the cold Mansfield, loc. Told in the first-person with much direct speech, the perspective is, obviously, limited, because the reader is privy to the thoughts of the story-teller, experiencing the unfolding events from her intimate viewpoint.
It could be argued that the choice of narration affects the purpose, rather than meaning, of each story. Maybe these are interchangeable, in this instance. In summary, both stories are powerful in their own ways, effectively fulfilling their purposes.
They contrast, however, in their overall style of narration; in their perspective, voice and tone. Although the subject matter of both deals with personal relationships, the choice of narration contrasts starkly, yet each is successful in conveying its meaning. Knopf, New York. There are also sub-themes of cultural, age, class and racial differences, along with dislocation, and all are interwoven. Told in simple past tense, except for the first paragraph, the broader setting of linear time could be the early nineteen-sixties, given the general tone of the story, coupled with the mention of miles, rather than kilometres, while the narrower setting is a few hours.
It is also important for the character of Gian, ibid. Gian provides an archetypal masculine sensuality: charming, tall and youthfully-handsome with ibid. The town, whose likely reason for existence is the sugar mill, perfectly evokes the small-town mentality of that era. Cairns, ibid. This interior setting, with its the use of the first-person voice, gives the reader access to an aspect of her enlightenment.
The settings also dislocate the characters. The traditional roles are reversed. The teenagers are part of the blue-collar class of manual workers, whereas the teacher probably comes from a white-collar or professional background, given that tertiary education carried a substantial fee at that time. Apart from connotative names, Hawthorn lists four important methods of building fictional characters: description or report; action; thought or conversation; and symbol or image.
