Question

Analyze this passage from Gabriel García Márquez's short story 'Tuesday Siesta' ('La siesta del martes'):

'The train emerged from the gallery of yellow banana plantations. Since it was almost two o'clock, the heat was suffocating. The girl, who was twelve, sat on the seat opposite her mother, her back to the window. The mother sat with her back to the engine. Both of them wore severe, poor mourning clothes. The mother looked out the window at the monotonous landscape. Her face had the copper-colored hue of the people of the coast, but she looked older than her years. Her eyelids were heavy, and she seemed weary, yet she maintained a quiet, unbreakable dignity. When the train began to slow down, she spoke to the girl: "Put on your shoes. Comb your hair." The girl got up and did as she was told. Then the mother added: "If you have to do anything, do it now. Later, even if you are dying of thirst, do not drink water anywhere. Above all, do not cry." The train stopped at a station where there was no one, only the glaring heat on the dusty platform. They got off, carrying a plastic bag with some food and a bouquet of flowers wrapped in newspaper. It was the hour of the siesta, and the town was asleep under the oppressive sun, silent and hostile to their presence.'

Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of the author's third-person objective narrative perspective in this passage?