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Monday, October 15, 2012

Dubus, Andre.“Killings.”




“Killings”

1) How do you feel about Matt’s act of revenge? Trace the emotions his character produces in you as the plot unfolds.
Matt should have left the court system deal with his revenge. I put myself in Matt’s shoes of a son being murder by someone. He explained to Willis how his wife was dealing with the situation. Matt says, “She sees him all the time. It makes her cry” (97). That made me think of emotions of sadness and depression. Matt then goes on to tell Wills about him carrying a gun. Matt says to Willis referring to his wife, “She knows I started carrying it after the first time she saw him in town” (97). This made me think of emotions of rage and anger. If someone has a gun they have thought about using it.
2) Discuss the significance of the title. Why is “Killings” a more appropriate title than “Killers?”
“Killers” by dictionary definition means a person or thing that kills. So “killers” implies one person. There is a lot of “killings” in the story. There are physically and psychological “killings.” Frank and Strout are physically killed. The rest of the characters are psychological killed. Matt talks about his wife “crying.” Matt says, “She sees him all the time. It makes her cry” (97). Willis even refers to Strout by saying, “I hate him, Matt” (97). Dubus describes Mary by saying, “Beneath her eyes there was swelling from the three days she had suffered” (96). These are just a few examples of the many “killings” in the story.
3) What are the effects of Dubus’s ordering of events of the story? How would the effect be different if the story were told in chronological order?
Dubus’s story is very suspenseful the way it is set up. At first we didn’t know what happen to Frank. Each of the characters reflected their emotions. It made the reader put themself in the characters shoes. If it was told in order the story wouldn’t have been so suspenseful.
4) Describe the Fowler family before Frank’s murder. How does the murder affect Matt?
The Fowler’s knew of the tension between Frank and Richard. The Fowler family was not perfect due to Richard. Richard billed Frank. They even got into a fight. The Fowler family was still more happy with Frank alive than dead. Matt had to watch his wife cry. He became very angered with Richard. Which is ultimately was the reason why Matt murder Richard to better his family.
5) What is learned about Richard from the flashback in paragraphs 32 through 75? How does this information affect your attitude toward him?
We learned how about Richard’s education background. Richard and Frank had got into a fight. Dubus says about Richard, “One night he beat Frank” (98). I already start to get the sense of the tension between Richard and Frank. It seems that Richard bullied Frank. Frank even says that he is going to “take karate” to protect himself.
6) What is the effect of the description of Richard shooting Frank in paragraph 76?
It seems to me that Richard was not there. He seemed to love Mary and their children. When people are angered by something they lose sight of everything else.
7) How well planned is Matt’s revenge? Why does he lie to Richard about sending him out west?
Everything about Matt’s revenge was well planned. He had even thought about the small simple details of the street lights. Dubus states, “They were on the main street, and all the stoplights were blinking yellow. Willis and Matt had talked about that too: the lights changed at midnight, so there would be no place Strout had to stop and where he might try to run” (103). Matt lies to Richard because he didn’t want Richard to start panicking. It was easier for Matt to lie to Richard. Richard didn’t think his life was endangered.
8) Describe Matt at the end of the story when he tells his wife about the killing. How do you think this revenge killing will affect the Fowler family?
Matt’s wife wanted every detail of what happened to Strout. I think everyone is relived expect Matt. Dubus states referring to Matt, “He shuddered with a sob that he kept silent in his heart” (108). It can be inferred that Matt feels bad for what he has done with Strout.
9) How might “Killings be considered a love story as well as a murder story?
Strout loved Mary. It can be inferred that he murdered Frank because he wanted Mary back. Strout even says, “I wanted to try to get together with her again” (104). He then goes on to say, “I couldn’t even talk to her. He was always with her” (104). Strout killed Frank because he was getting between him and Ruth getting back together.
Works Cited
Dubus, Andre.“Killings.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2012. 96-108. Print.


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