Richard Strout plays the role of the antagonist in Andre Dubus’ story “Killings”. The character Richard Strout on the surface is a stereotypical spoiled ex-jock, with violent tendencies. There is more to this character though hidden below the surface. He is insecure. Richard Strout is as much a victim as Frank, the man that was sleeping with Richard’s wife.…
In Phil Klay's “Ten Kliks South” the author shows the many different views of killing. Through the words and actions of the soldiers. Some soldiers see it as an accomplishment, and others see it as a job to follow the…
The novel In Cold Blood tells the story of a family living the “American dream”: a well-respected family liked by all that consisted of a mother, father, son and daughter who both excelled in school and extracurricular activities. One night, the family was viciously murdered and robbed, and the killers fled the scene and managed to avoid authorities for a considerable amount of time, until thorough investigation led to the capture of Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. The novel most definitely depicts a tragedy, but as the search for the murderers prolongs, the question of who’s tragedy, the innocent family or the misguided murderers, lingers over the reader.…
In Andre Dubus’ “Killings,” Matt Fowler, a father, makes a drastic decision to get revenge on his son’s assassin after he is murdered. In Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” we see similar themes of violence, vengeance, and injustice told with the choices of different characters. The conflict changes with the different actions and motivations of the protagonists, showing different intensities and motives through the stories.…
Cited: O 'Brien, Tim. "How To Tell a True War Story." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.…
Matt Fowler, the protagonist in Andre Dubus 's "Killings", reasons that the justice system is not working in the manner it should and ensures the Richard Strout 's punishment for killing Fowler 's son, Frank, is appropriate for the crime he has committed. Although neither Matt Fowler nor Strout are murderers, the intensity of love overwhelms them beyond logic and despite the potential consequences as the look past their human morality and take a life in a tragic tale of love and revenge. The two stories share many differences, but the underlying theme based on crimes of passion leaves the reader with the ethical dilemma of contemplating whether murder can be justified.…
Matt’s decision to kill his sons murderer, Richard Strout, shows the authors emphasis of action, albiet in an extreme way. “Matt had not told Willis he was afraid he could not be alone with Strout, smell his smells, feel the presence of his flesh, hear his voice, and then shoot him.” (Dubus, 86) Here Matt has committed to the decision even though he doesn’t know if he can do it. The solid stance makes a clear path into the resolution, resolving the lack of action shown throughout the story. Solid commitment begins leading Matt, rather than wavering…
Young people often do not know what to expect of the future. They do not know how to act when something unexpected comes along, and their actions are based on what they do know; usually limited, biased information. This idea is central to the short story, ʺWar,ʺ by Timothy Findley. The young boy, Neil Cable, narrates the day he found out his father had joined the army. He speaks of his actions, feelings, and confusion surrounding that day. At first glance, his actions are all too often misinterpreted as violence and hatred, but after careful consideration, one can see that they are merely his way of dealing with the troubling news. He has not experienced enough in his lifetime to have a true understanding of war, and acts upon what he does know. In the short story, ʺWarʺ, by Timothy Findley, the young boy’s image of war and actions throughout are explained through the use of symbolism.…
Have you ever been through a traumatic experience? How did you explain your feelings during it? Did you want the other person to feel the same way you did? A few years ago, a drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into my vehicle. Surviving the accident with no marks, bruises, or scrapes, I had no visible proof of what I had been through. But mentally, I was hysterical, frantic, and upset. My family did not understand my reason for being distraught since I had not sustained any injuries. Wanting them to understand what I had gone through and how I felt, I exaggerated and gave extra details in an attempt to prove that my experience was detrimental and distressing. Tim O’Brien, the author of the short story How to Tell a True War Story, used symbolism and polysyndeton to convey that people often exaggerate after experiencing something profound, emotional, or traumatic in order to communicate unthinkable sensations and feelings.…
The story by Tim O’Brien shows how the soldiers are themselves and can also be serious. O’Brien also sees how Vietnam changes the soldiers and how they see the world now. There will be people that will ask if it’s true or not true they can asks what happened. There can be different ways to tell a story but they can ask what happen. O’Brien would know which story he really believes. O’Brien will give use by looking at Rat’s point of view, and Sanders point of view of Lemon death and how Rat copes with a letter. Here are three points’ that will go with O’Brien story the history, biography and literary criticism.…
2. There were two significant external conflicts in this book. First, John Busby (Author) vs. Meyer Family (Crime Family responsible for the attack). Raymond Meyer organized the shooting of John Busby. Raymond Meyer drove the car when James Meyer shot John Busby in the face with a shotgun. John Busby was an honest police officer who had a family. He was working hard for the right reasons. Busby’s life was forever changed by this act of violence. This conflict created a different world for not only John Busby, but his entire family. In a quick moment the life of the Busby family was drastically changed. Their world was now full of fear, pain and uncertainty about the future.…
Revenge, loss and consequences are explored in Andre Dubus's, "Killings". A jealous husband, angered by the fact that his estranged wife is involved in a new relationship, acts out in a presumable crime of passion and murders the man she was seeing. As a result of this crime, a father suffers the loss of his son and plots retaliation, which results in the killing of his son's murderer. Both men experience a loss and subsequently act out in revenge. The difference in the moral character of these two men is what appears to determine the fate of their consequences.…
“There had never been a death more foretold,” the narrator asserts, repeating the truth that haunts the entire town. Dismissing their superficial reactions—”most of the townspeople consoled themselves with the pretext that affairs of honor are sacred monopolies”—he finds the murder has in fact created “a single anxiety which had made of the town an open wound.”…
The following story is not a true one, it is based on true facts, a real war, and the same type of issue that happened in such war. You are Hans Pellston, a boy of only eighteen in August 17th, 1939, born in Nuremberg, Germany. So your story begins, on the south side of your home town.…
Killing is a short story of a father’ love for his son but he changed his emotion at the end of hunting a murderer. Instead of have satisfaction after killed a murderer, Matt, a father feels lonely and isolation. His son, Frank, got killed by Richard Strout who divorced Frank’s girlfriend. This is a sad story with lots of emotional. A mother with broken heart and a father is between what right to do or contemplate crime. Matt and Richard are the victim and murderers of the story. The story focuses on revenge and justice. Going after someone, kill someone after what they did is not always the answer for the loss of that person. It doesn’t solve the problems, it’s just getting worse. We look for justice, Richard is being let out on bail and showing him without any punishments make us feel that he deserved it.…