Narrative Unreliability in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver

Abstract

In this paper, Narrative Unreliability is examined which is present in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). The notion that Travis Bickle is suffering as a symptom of his troubled mind does not tell the whole truth. This study uses narratology and close psychological analysis to uncover subjective perspectives. Various cinematic techniques like selective editing, voice-over narration and point-of-view shots depict an unreliable narrative framework in the film. These techniques, though used sparingly, reflect psychological decomposition of Travis. The inconsistency in Travis’s personality in the film is not just a stylistic choice. It depicts urban alienation, the trauma post-Vietnam and how the identity of vigilantes of America in 1970s was formed. The film’s narrative unreliability immerses the audience in Travis’s distorted worldview. Simultaneously, it critiques the violence it appears to glorify. It is evident how Travis misinterprets social cues and frequently constructs delusional narratives. His voice-over contradicts visual evidence throughout the film. The primary assumption in this paper is that moral ambiguity is placed at the centre of the film’s meaning through unreliable narration. This would provide ground for movies in which the protagonists are psychologically unstable. Taxi Driver’s narration is also crucial to understand subjective cinema and character psychology.