For the description of the provincial setting and the city 's collective life , ClarÃ n used styles such as the internal monologue or the free indirect style , which makes the story be told by the characters , not the narrator . For the description of the provincial atmosphere and the city 's collective life , ClarÃ n used techniques such as the internal monologue or the free indirect style , which makes the story be narrated by the characters themselves and allows the reader to penetrate in their intimacy .