One of the most compelling textual arguments in favor of the symbiotic reading comes from the structure of the narrative itself. It is a first-person narrative giving us the perspective of Gan. There is no omniscience of any sort; we are restricted to his thoughts, his actions, and his interpretation of what happens in the world around him. Whatever he sees, feels, or thinks is the absolute truth for the story. There can be no distance between the reader and the story because the narration is intimate and immediate; to draw back from the narrative is to go outside the story. If the reader chooses to bring in notions from outside the text then that person can come to whatever conclusion he or she pleases. Without bringing in extra-textual biases, however, Gan’s reality is inescapable because it is the only reality the story legitimately provides, and Gan’s reality is a symbiotic relationship between Terran and Tlic.