From the text, what can we infer about how the narrator views children in the story, The Woman at the Store?

Mansfield demonstrates the protagonist’s opinion of children through the protagonist’s language choices. In most cases, when the protagonist refers to the woman’s daughter, she calls her “the kid” (63). This reference implies disregard or lack of care for the child, showing that the protagonist does not care for children.

Mansfield further emphasizes this disregard through the protagonist’s narration. When the protagonist is peacefully bathing in the creek, she forgets “all about the woman and the kid” (64). The fact that the protagonist forgets about them when she is in a pleasant state shows that the protagonist does not associate positive sensations with those characters.