Killings" is set in a blue-collar New England town along the Merrimack. It is a vision of a somewhat isolated community -- outside of time, not supported by a sense of law or order or justice. Murder essentially goes unpunished -- which is why the main character, Matt, takes the "law" into his own hands and murders Strout, the man who killed his son. Matt, used to taking matters into his own hands, as a man from a blue collar town, feels justified in this killing -- just as justified as Strout felt in killing Matt's son, who was sleeping with Strout's estranged wife. While Strout's killing of Matt was based on passion (Strout's passion to repossess his wife and let no other have her), Matt's killing of Strout is based on grief and a desire for vengeance (his son is dead yet Strout is free to walk the streets and make love to a woman). In this context, it is inappropriate to argue that either Strout or Matt is more manly than the other, since manliness (virility) comes from the Latin vir, for man, which is also the root word of virtue (a habit of acting which is good, manly). Which of these characters is good if they both view murder as justified because of their own personal issues, whether possessive or vengeful? The answer is that neither is manly, because neither acts out of a habit of virtue but rather out of a habit of selfishness (Matt's believes he has earned some rest in these his twilight years and Strout believes he had every right to protect what was "his" -- but neither sees the world from outside themselves). This is the central problem of the story -- a lack of real manliness: the men in the story are driven by aims that are not manly; yet the men believe that they are because of mistaken but preconceived notions of manliness being something that relates to what each deserves (Strout "deserves" to have his family back, Matt "deserves" peace and won't let Strout disturb...
Meanwhile, real manliness is missing from the story and is only sensed by its notable absence (for instance, when Matt realizes that he cannot make love to his wife at the end -- he has literally lost his virility upon committing murder). This story will show how Matt and Strout represent different aspects of "modern" manliness but how Dubus shows that actual, virtuous manliness is absent in this small town through a style of writing that is atonal and unorthodox.
Andre Dubus' "The Curse" Andre Dubus' short story "The Curse" illustrates one man's inner struggle with guilt. Dubus includes the essential elements necessary to create a successful classic story in that it contains a high emotional level, complication, rising action, and a climax. The story is also successful because it deals with a realistic circumstance. Mitchell Hayes, as the protagonist, is a very dynamic character. The story revolves around his thoughts and
Dubus Andre Dubus's Meditations From a Movable Chair The title of Andre Dubus' nonfiction book of spiritual reflections reflects the fact that the author now is stranded in a wheelchair, having lost his mobility in a tragic accident. Ironically, his lost was incurrent when he was extending an act of charity. Dubus was helping some people by the side of the road who were experiencing car trouble, in the effort, he himself
Warfare can change someone in a matter of days, as children were apparently transformed consequent to coming across conditions in Greece and as a result of the fact that their innocence and their child natures were virtually taken away from them once they were recruited. Even with the fact that Fritz struggled to stay a child, he did not manage to do so, as the Nazi system had changed
He is identified as follows in the story: "...he had not so much moved through his life as wandered through it, his spirit like a dazed body bumping into furniture and corners. He had always been a fearful father..." This depiction of Matt shows how his love for his family has become a weakness for him, for there is always a fear in him that he will fail as
protagonist antagonist short story called "Killings" Andre Dubus It is difficult to defend the position that the protagonist and antagonist of Adre Dubus' short story "Killings," Matt and Strout, are alike in any sort of way. Virtually the only similarity they have is their mutual admiration and appreciation for the way that Strout's ex-wife, Mary Ann, looks. Nonetheless, both of these men are fathers and they are both murderers. Still,
film "In Bedroom" story "Killings Andre Dobus. Too Hollywood: "Killings" vs. In The Bed In all actuality, it would be exceedingly difficult for any feature film to match the emotional depth and breadth of a (good) work of literature. Although Hollywood will claim otherwise, a true story cannot be told with images but with the connotations, the complexities, and the nuances of words, and with words alone. Subsequently, as can be
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