Byatt calls the story plain, and brief, and clear and terrible though the narrator's tone is not simple. Byatt goes on to say that Mann is recording, not judging but her telling is spiky with morals and the inadequacy of morals.
Byatt views the narrative as unpretentious and to the point, while the narrator's voice is sophisticated and multifaceted. Byatt argues that Mann's account is more descriptive than evaluative, but her storytelling is characterized by a nuanced exploration of moral complexities.