Narrator and point of view

The short story “Walk Don’t Run” by Douglas Bruton is told from the point of view of a first-person narrator, who is also the main character.

The narrator is only 14 years old and has limited life experience, and this is often reflected in the way the story is told. For instance, her lack of experience with relationships means that she does not directly describe Johnny’s actions as manipulative and abusive, even though the readers can see them for what they are. 

Thus, though we do not get the sense that she is being dishonest with her readers, her limited perspective might still make her a bit of an unreliable narrator. This also comes across in her general insecurity, as she often shows doubts about what she has decided to do and why she does i...