Theme Of Killing By Andre Dubus

In Andre Dubus’ short story “Killings,” the character Frank Fowler is violently murdered by his girlfriend’s ex-husband. Numerous readers agree that Richard Strout’s death is the result of revenge; however, Frank’s death is rarely examined. Even though his death is the pivotal point that swings the rest of the story into action, his demise is often overlooked because Richard’s death is so prominently analyzed, calculated, and questioned. So what is the origin of Frank’s murder? Although there are numerous reasons why Frank is killed, one apparent cause is his love for Mary Ann. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross from Tim O’Brien’s story, “The Things They Carried,” can certainly attest that the love of a woman is a powerful and blinding emotion. An emotion

This is one of the major reasons that his death is seemingly unimportant. Additionally, the sequence of events contributes to the neglect of Frank’s character. Seemingly focusing on the actions that take place after Frank’s death. The first scene opens at Frank’s burial, from which readers are transported directly to Matt and his disgust for Richard. The lack of foreground information on either Frank or his death focuses the story on Matt and how he and his wife cope with their loss. Furthermore, the retelling of Frank’s death is very brief and abrupt, implying Matt is more focused on Richard and Mary Ann rather than on his son’s death. The narrator even devotes a whole paragraph, nearly half a page, to Matt describing and admiring Mary Ann, while only dedicating four sentences to describe Frank’s death. Additionally, the fact that Richard acts as the subject in the sentence, “Richard Strout shot Frank in front of the boys,” further suggests that Matt’s emphasis is placed on Strout rather than Frank (Dubus 1180). Without stopping to contemplate why Richard kills Frank, Matt is immediately concerned with the hatred and disgust both he and his wife feel toward Strout, These feelings are evident in his planned and much desired murder. There is a similar pattern of events surrounding Lieutenant

However, the easily overlooked similarity is the concept of love. This emotion is merely overlooked. Through this similarity, it becomes evident that love not only is something yearned for by humanity, but also a temptation so strong it can blind us to reality. This blindness can cause the pain of death. Love can cause people to do crazy things, and if you are Lieutenant Cross, even make you treat a pebble as if it were a tongue. Frank’s love for Mary Ann, as innocent as it may seem, exists as a love for a married woman. Love and lust are dangerous beasts, ones that we as readers must be weary of, for if we are not, we may find ourselves sharing the same fate as Frank, death by