Narrator and point of view

The short story “Ambush” by Tim O’Brien is told from the point of view of a first-person narrator who is also the main character. 

The narrator is deeply involved in the narrative, which he recounts in very vivid detail. However, it should be noted that his guilt might have influenced the way he sees the events. For instance, when he states “There was no real peril. Almost certainly the young man would have passed by” (ll. 57-58), we have no way of knowing that this is, in fact, true. 

The narrator reports his impressions of what other characters might be thinking: “He seemed at ease. He carried his weapon in one hand, muzzle down, moving without any hurry up the center of the trail.” (ll. 30-31). His recollection may be subjective, as shown by the following sentenc...