The narrator is Janet's father whose helplessness to prevent his beloved daughter's exposure to life's pain and suffering drive the story as it unfolds.  The physical context of John Crowe Ransom's poem "Janet Waking" is a normal domestic morning for Janet as she greets her parents when she wakes up before dashing to visit her pet hen, Chucky.  The normalcy is shattered when Janet discovers that the hen is dead.  The poem's deeper context is Janet confronting the sudden knowledge that death is real, catapulting her from childhood innocence and initiating her into adult pain. Also shattered is her father's role as hero in his child's life.  The broader context speaks to the agony both father and daughter feel when unable to protect a loved one.