Character Analysis Of Bullet In The Brian By Tobias Wolff

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What’s up with all This Judging
“Bullet in the Brian” by Tobias Wolff is about a book critic Anders, who, while waiting in a line at the bank, has been listening to two women in front of him talk very loudly -- a simple conversation that turns into bickering between him and both these women. At this point everyone’s attention goes to the door; two guys wearing ski masks are standing at the door. Well, as expected Anders couldn’t keep his mouth shut. One of the men, standing at the door, gives him a warning; Anders started to talk again and was shot in the brain. While he lays there dying, he is experiencing flashbacks. He does not remember some, but one flashback, in particular, he remembers clearly. A memory of his younger days, of him playing …show more content…

In the beginning, the story is told in the minor character’s point of view. Limited information is given about Anders. The readers are not informed of his age, his educational background, profession, etc. Although the author expressed that he is a critic, it is not established where he works or what his status is in life. Limiting information is a way to engage the readers in reading as they inquire about the background of the main character. The angle of narration thus helps to make the story more interesting and mysterious. As the bullet hits the brain, the point of view shifts to the novelist’s point of view or the omniscient angle which sees everything, including the bullet in the brain, the past experiences that Anders set aside in his memory and the reminiscences of childhood when he played with his cousins. The omniscient viewpoint works to provide the readers what they ought to know, which facial reaction or dialogues alone could fail to show.
Three paragraphs have been rewritten presenting the first-person point of view. I did not remember Professor Josephs telling the class how Athenian prisoners in Sicily had been released if they could recite Aeschylus, and then quoting Aeschylus myself, right there, in Greek. Anders does not remember how his eyes burned at those sounds. I did not remember the surprise of seeing a college classmate’s name on the jacket of a novel not long after we graduated or the respect I had felt after reading the book. I did not remember the pleasure of giving

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