Narrator and point of view

The short story “Mr. Mumsford” by Larry French is told by a third-person narrator. 

At the beginning of the story, the narrator appears to have insight into Bibs’ thoughts and feelings. This is how we know that Bibs has killed rabbits before, but never a man (ll. 1-2) and that he does not have a guilty conscience because he decided to murder someone (ll. 4-5). The narrator is also aware of Bibs’ past and shares what happened on his first day working at the school and how he came to get his nickname.

During Bibs’ encounter with the principal, we get no insight into either character’s thoughts and feelings. Rather, the narrator assumes the perspective of an observer of the events. In this way, the narrator guesses at the characters’ feelings and ...