First-person​ narration is a technique that is widely used by authors due to its ability to 

introduce complexity and depth to a narrative; by allowing the reader into the mind of 
the character, it allows for a much more intimate experience with the text. ​Jane Rogers 
takes great advantage of this, putting to great use the internal dialogue, both logical and 
emotional, of ​Celia​ in order to concretely establish a palpable sense of confusion and 
discomfort. 

At the beginning of the passage, ​Celia​ is returning to her house from a miscellaneous 
outing. During this journey, she finds two children playing, one of which is hitting a tree 
with a stick. This behavior "​makes [her] think of the way they sometimes feed remains 
of animals to the same species.​" This statement in and of itself is rather unusual and 
specific, to a point where it may seem to the uninitiated reader that the detail is simply 
some sort of unnecessary vestige from an earlier segment of the same story. However, 
this is not the case. Instead, it serves to set the tone and mood for the passage. In 
writing, there are many methods of establishing these literary features. In this specific 
case, it does so in a manner that makes great use of the first-person perspective. By 
using the pronoun "I," the reader subconsciously begins to associate themselves with 
the narrator; in a sense, they see themselves as the narrator. Since C ​ elia​, the narrator, 
says this while the story is presented in a first-person perspective, the reader perceives 
the thought as their own, in an abstract manner. The end result of this is that the reader 
perceives a sense of confusion and strangeness directly as if they themselves were 
experiencing it. By setting this tone in this specific way, ​Rogers​ is creating an 
atmosphere in which ​Celia​'s rather nuanced perspective is better established. 

​Celia​'s complex perspective is further reinforced via the utilization of a first-person 

perspective throughout the remainder of the text. In the relative center of the passage, 
Celi​a reveals that "​there is always this doubt,​" since "​[Natalie] has [her] best interests at 
heart'​" but nonetheless feels that she has been undermined by her. This, in conjunction 
with the already-established feeling of confusion throughout the passage, implies that 
Celia​'s confusion and generally complex interpersonal interactions extend beyond this 
short story and throughout her life. It is not only the physical aspects of her life that she 
finds confusing, but also the unseen parts, such as her relationship with ​Natalie​.