Narrative voice in "The Worn Path"

Reading "The Worn Path," I found that the narrative voice is what stands out the most for me. Made up entirely of images and actions, without one single direct description of emotions, yet coupled with Phoenix talking to herself and her dialogues, this narrative voice works so well in evoking emotions in readers. On one hand, this seemingly detached narrative serves to mimic the single-minded determination of the main character. By focusing solely on her actions and what she sees along the road, with detailed descriptions of the setting and how she sees it, the narrative voice also creates a sense of suspension for the forthcoming resolution of the story. It makes readers ask questions and keep reading to find the answers: why is she making this long journey? Why does she pick up the nickel? Why is she so resolute when the journey is so difficult? Moreover, the narrative voice stands out distinctively from the voices of the characters, Phoenix, the hunter, the nurses. This contributes to the emotion-evoking nature of this story, as it highlights the dialogues and mini-monologues that characterize Phoenix as a three-dimensional character. Because of this seeming detachment from the protagonist, the narrative voice serves as the perfect unbiased background for readers to notice and understand Phoenix as a character through her actions and words, making the emotional attachment to this character the readers' own feelings, unaffected by the narrator. And for me, that's probably why the story resonates so strongly.