It's told through the eyes of the young narrator, about the freshness and innocence that we all bring to our professions in the beginning.

The former opens with "an ancient man selling apples" at the young narrator's front door.

The young narrator's journey is a form of purgatory.

Berardo and the younger narrator go to Rome, looking for work.

Berardo and the younger narrator then meet him in prison in Rome.

Each passage is told by a young narrator.

The younger narrators in this highly praised collection of stories are equally plagued by uncertainty.

Before he is allowed to receive the award for achievement, the young narrator is forced to undergo one more humiliation.

Worse, he often - very often - gives his young narrators a sophistication that seems beyond them.

The vulnerable young narrator persuades himself that he is the protector of the farm and the animals.