The Secret Lion

The narrative is told from a first-person perspective, and the reader’s closeness to the narrator emphasizes his Loss of Innocence: “We were two boys and twelve summers then, and not stupid. Things get taken away” (102). He speaks firsthand about his disappointment, and his wistful regret lends the loss greater emotional weight. The effect is all the stronger for its contrast with the more childish tone of the flashbacks—another effect that the first-person perspective enables. Especially before the trip into the hills, the narration suggests the brash confidence of a young child: one who thinks they understand the world much better than they actually do. Here, for example, is the moment after the narrator and Sergio announce their plan: “So we went out, and we weren’t dumb, we thought with our eyes to each other, ohhoshe’stryingtokeep somethingfromus. We knew adult” (101). The boys’ certainty that they have outsmarted the narrator’s mother underscores their naivety and provides a touch of comedy.