I think one of the most impressive bits of this piece is the tone; as a reader, you understand that the “I” character feels hostile towards her deceased husband, but after rereading it, I noticed he never actually did anything mean to her. It sounds like he loved her unconditionally, which we don’t know for sure until the end, and yet there’s a bitterness to all of her words. I think the way this was conveyed was partially by the mechanical way she described how she cared for all these animals that didn’t sound like hers. They weren’t family to her, they were burdens left over from her husband. She as a character is very detached from the events that are happening and have happened. This sets a tone of emotional stagnancy, borderline apathy with a few shining moments of longing (like how she falls asleep in his bed).
I believe the point of view was used to give a sense that we as readers couldn’t trust the main character. Right off the bat, when she says “My love is so good, why isn’t it calling the same thing back?” we think that her husband doesn’t love her. As the story continues, however, we see his actions and real thoughts. I think this helps us as readers care about a character who isn’t perfect, who is deeply scarred with jealousy and greed, yet redeemable through her own misconceptions and her awareness of her flaws.