The peculiar way "Cowboys" by Susan Steinberg is written blurs the line between author and narrator. As the story progresses, the reader is lead to believe through the continuous displays of self-doubt that the narrator is telling this story not to tell someone else, but to clear her own thoughts. This gives the reader a close look into the forming thoughts of the mulling narrator.
This effect is achieved by the continuous references to the reader as "you" in the quotes "And I'm telling you this" and "I would not subject you to intentional meaning". These sections serve the purpose of reminding the reader that this narration is meant for them and strengthens the bond between what is occurring and the outsider. The continuous reference to how the narrator is not trying to make any "intentional meaning" or trying to build a "grand scheme" may point to the fact that the narrator is desperately trying to make the situation about someone other than herself to be comforted in having someone to talk to, when really the story is merely an aid to introspection. While reading the story I felt that the narrator was in denial because of this literary device and believed that the reference to me was simply to clarify the ideas of the narrator.
In addition to this technique, the narrator often contradicts herself and this also steers the reader towards thinking the story is merely a way of processing difficult information to take in. This is not to say that the reader feels external, it is, in my view, a simple story of introspection. In sentences like "The point is I was not always serious. No, the point is we're limited" the reader sees the narrator as a person who still has to sort out their own thoughts as they are presenting them. This gives the reader a very intimate view into the narrator's thoughts even as they are being formed, what is on the page is completely raw thought as the narrator ponders the events described.
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