Posted by Melanie Maloski on June 03, 1999 at 19:27:18:
Huddle frames the story of Michelle kind of like a story within a story. The narrator is telling his story and then Michelle's story is revealed through it. He gathers information and pieces it together. Michelle's character comes off as being a loner and invisible. The narrator give the reader some insight to Michelle's thoughts and feelings.
Michelle seems to feel comfortable with telling the narrator her story she has kept inside for so long. She is opening up from being such a quiet and shy girl. The narrator is the first person that really notices her and does not give up trying to get her attention.
We know that Michelle is Catholic. It seems from the narrator's point of view that she "confesses" her story to him. She uses him as a priest. Michelle also says that she will never again tell her story to anyone. It is to my understanding that when one confesses there is no need to tell the story twice. You only have to tell it once.
I think Huddle tells his story in such a parculiar way because it seems like a good example of how to write a flashback. It reveals to the reader how the narrator was visited by memory. Also, the story reveals perception. How people view things in their own way. The reader sees the whole story through only the narrator's point of view.