Narrator and point of view

The short story “Hostage” by Andrew Vachss is told by Walker, the main character and the first-person narrator.

However, Walker can be considered an unreliable narrator. His unreliability is first highlighted when he presents his psychiatrist’s diagnosis: “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, fundamental lack of empathy, blunted affect, addicted risk-taker.” (p. 157, ll. 24-25). He also breaks into his psychiatrist’s office (p. 157, ll. 22-23) and does not take responsibility for his reckless acts (p. 157, ll. 18-19). Moreover, Walker maintains a casual tone when he talks about his previous reckless acts and when he thinks about getting his old job back. Consequently, the narrator is revealed to be a mentally unstable person, who kills someone in the end for his own purposes. 

Most of the narration is told explicitly, with plenty of details, such as in the scene where Walke...