While the story reveals the thoughts and feelings of other characters like the young girl (her student) and the young man (the girl's brother), it primarily focuses on Miss Meadows' perspective. We experience the lesson through her eyes, understanding her motivations, anxieties, and struggles. This allows the reader to gain a deep understanding of Miss Meadows' character and her internal world.
The choice of this point of view serves several purposes:
* Empathy and understanding: By focusing on Miss Meadows, the story encourages the reader to sympathize with her loneliness, her longing for connection, and her desperation to be appreciated.
* Subtlety and ambiguity: The limited point of view allows Mansfield to create a sense of ambiguity. We don't know the exact nature of Miss Meadows' past or her relationship with the young girl. This ambiguity adds to the story's emotional impact.
* Exploration of inner life: By restricting the narrative to Miss Meadows' thoughts and feelings, the story delves into her inner world, revealing the hidden complexities of her personality and her emotional struggles.
Ultimately, the third-person limited point of view allows "The Singing Lesson" to be a poignant and introspective story that focuses on the loneliness and longing of an aging woman in a society that is increasingly indifferent to her needs.