Underneath the title of the short story “Cons,” by author Jess Walter reads; “Can you ever escape the bad things you’ve done?” What a true statement this is. In both “Cons” and another short story “Killings,” by Andres Dubus, it is portrayed that escaping past mistakes is sometimes nearly inevitable. Both stories share a similar layout. They revolve around murder, pain and agony. Richard killed Frank, an innocent young man and Kyle killed an innocent young couple. Their “choices” to kill—accident or not—changed their lives forever. When Kyle chose to drive while intoxicated, he received negative consequences, living with the fact he murdered an innocent couple and serving jail time. This is something that never leaves his mind and on no …show more content…
He receives nasty letters constantly reminding him of the night of the crash. “I wanted you to remember how you ruined the lives of these people,” says Shae Lynn’s father. (Walter, 85) He faces two different conflicts, Man vs. Self and Man vs. Man. It is possible that the conflict he has with himself is fueled by the conflict he shares with the father of the young girl he crashed in to. Matt—the father of Frank—too faces Man vs. Self and Man vs. Man conflicts. Matt must decide whether he wants to avenge his son’s murder by killing Richard or if he should just move on and forget. This turns to a Man vs. Man challenge when Matt begins the actual process of hunting down and killing Richard. It is unknown if Richard faces a Man vs. Self conflict as well. The author makes it appear as if Richard has no remorse over his actions, so saying his death was an escape from his antagonist is not a certain argument. It goes this way for Matt too, though he got revenge on Richard by killing him, readers will never know the long-term effect this will have on Matt. Killing Richard may only be a temporary solution to getting over the death of his son Frank. The main theme of both short stories is that actions have a ripple effect. Kyle’s drinking led him to believe he was okay to drive home on his own. He did not know he was going to kill a couple walking
The Murderers Are Among Us, directed by Wolfe Gang Staudte, is the first postwar film. The film takes place in Berlin right after the war. Susan Wallner, a young women who has returned from a concentration camp, goes to her old apartment to find Hans Mertens living there. Hans took up there after returning home from war and finding out his house was destroyed. Hans would not leave, even after Susan returned home. Later on in the film we find out Hans was a former surgeon but can no longer deal with human suffering because of his traumatic experience in war. We find out about this traumatic experience when Ferdinand Bruckner comes into the film. Bruckner, Hans’ former captain, was responsible for killing hundreds
“Killings", written by Andre Dubus in 1979, involves several aspects such as revenge, morality, and murder. Elements, such as the story’s title, the order of events, and the development of the characters, are very unique. It successfully evokes emotion and suspense as the plot unfolds in sequence. Though it seems easily overlooked, the title “Killings” is very important due to the fact that the thrill of suspense is left in the mind of the reader. The title encourages readers to question who and what. It is also an intricate setting for the plot’s mood. It implies that a murder has taken place, but that is all the reader knows. The chronology of the story uses a style called "in media res”, a term used to describe the common strategy of beginning a story in the middle of the action or entering on the verge of some important moment (Meyer 2198). In this story, the readers are shown that murder not only takes a life, but it can also take away a living persons sense of self worth, their spirit.
In my opinion, the author Andres Dubus presents two separate plots in his work, “Killings” - Matt’s plot and everyone else’s plot. Throughout the story you see Matt’s emotions and grieving process juxtaposed to his wife’s, his children’s, and his town’s. Of course Matt is distraught over his son’s death, but his wife, Ruth, was emotionally destroyed, his children were livid, and the town was unabashedly enraged: all over the idea that the man who murdered Frank was able to walk freely without any noticeable guilt or remorse. There is also the interesting addition of Mary Anne perceived from Matt’s eyes to be mentioned. He continuously mentally commentates on her appearance; her, “...long brown legs he loved to look at” (paragraph 75), or “wide
As our murderers sit in a Kansas diner. Not disturbed by the four murder he has just committed, Dick chows down on sandwiches. Perry, however, is troubled. He reads and re-reads an article about the crime he and Dick committed. He just has a bad feeling...but Dick has no time for his phenomenons. To him, everything was perfectly fine Perry mentions someone named Floyd who may be a problem. Dick becomes furious and implies that he would kill the guy if he needed it to.
Bob was a smart, kind man at times, however, other times he was a wild recluse. With no discipline from his parents, and no tough love, he fell into a pit of destruction. Although Bob’s death could be blamed on Cherry Valance or Johnny Cade, it is his parents that are responsible for his death. Because they never punished their son when he did something wrong or taught him a lesson of respect, Bob suffered the ultimate consequence.
Matt’s son, Frank, was a successful young man who fell in love with a woman named Mary Ann, and this would later lead to his death—by insane ex-husband, Richard Strout. Matt soon is driven to do the unthinkable. He is going to kill the man who took his son away from him. Matt feels rage to the point of killing this man, to justify his pain by taking away another life, even when the killing itself will not bring his son back. While committing to the deed, Matt goes to Strout’s apartment, and he finds himself drawn to the life this man is going to leave behind. While Strout was trying to explain himself, he said to Matt, “I couldn’t even talk to her. He was always with her. I’m going to jail for it; if I ever get out I’ll be an old man. Isn’t that enough?” (Dubus 60). This is the only part of the story which depicts any measure of decent humanity Strout has in his body. He was upset that Matt was holding a gun to him, and he knew he deserved what was coming for him, even if he didn’t agree with Matt’s actions. Matt soon takes Frank’s life away, and he realizes killing Strout only made things worse, and made him realize even further the pain and suffering would never end. In the story, it says, “…he saw Frank and Strout, their faces alive; he saw red and yellow leaves falling to the earth, then snow; falling and freezing and falling,…he shuddered with a sob that he kept silent in his heart” (DuBus 64). Strout felt what Matt felt when he saw another man with his wife, and Matt wasn’t in the right mindset to realize both men are
Staring Monster, and “Murder on a Sunday Morning,” if you want to find out what the book “Monster” and the documentary “Murder On a Sunday Morning” are about then you should probably go to the library and get the book, and rent the documentary. Once you start reading the book Monster you wont want to stop, and once you start watching the documentary “Murder On A Sunday Morning” you will be just like a couch potato some one will have to come pry you off of your couch. Trust me when I say you will be a couch potato then I mean you will be a couch potato. I think that you will love the documentary “ Murder On A Sunday Morning,” and the book staring Walter Dean Myers “Monster.” This book and documentary will leave you on the edge of you seat, because their is so much thrill and excitement. One thing will happen and then the book will stop right then and there, you will have to start a new chapter to get to the good stuff. Same with eh documentary you will get to a certain part of the movie and then all of the sudden another thrill pops up and
The easy way out of a dilemma isn’t worth the damage from the start, or the loss that awaits at the end. In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, readers are told a tale about the consequences of not pursuing your dreams ending in tragedy that isn’t closing with death, but a painful silence. In Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, readers are taught that what is beyond reach should stay that way, especially if the only way of acquiring it is through an unethical approach. The nature of redemption is often detected at the peak of consciousness and is oftentimes too late for any reparation before the repercussions arise, because the moment awareness kicks in there’s only so much that can be restored.
Jail: the place of confinement for people accused or convicted of a crime. Imagine being locked in a cell for 24 hours a day, but for a crime one was wrongly accused of committing. Murder on a Sunday Morning is a documentary film by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade that follows Brenton Butler’s criminal case, in which the fifteen-year-old boy was wrongfully accused of committing murder. On May 7, 2000, the African American teenager was accused of robbing and killing an elderly, white tourist, Mary Anne Stevens, in Jacksonville, Florida. Two hours later, the police arrested Brenton Butler, a fifteen-year-old boy, that was walking nearby the scene. The only witness was the deceased woman's husband and he identified Butler as the killer. Butler signed
However, Matt Fowler had different reasoning for his actions. After burying his twenty-one year-old son who was just on the cusp of graduating college, he finds that Strout, his son’s murderer, has been released on bail pending trial and until then he has resumed his normal life. Watching his wife not only mourning the loss of their son, but also having to see the killer in daily activities, has caused a mental and emotional strain on their life. The affect on Fowler’s family that Strout is walking around free and seemingly unconcerned is one of the main reasoning that is posed when Fowler and his friend Willis T...
Throughout an individual’s life-time, he/she has a vision as o what his/her should be. But when things do not go as planned and the unexpected occurs, does that person face it, or run away? In “An Act of Vengeance” by Isabel Allende, running away is not an option at well. Through the usage of plot, character and irony, Allende illustrates the cost of war.
After reading the various statements of what happened it seems Tajomaru 's testimony was the most accurate and he is the most probable to have perpetrated the murder. In the different testimonies offered the information given seemed to indicate him. In comparing the stories, Tajomaru 's confession seemed to most line up with the description given by the woodcutter. There was also inconsistencies with the other testimonies presented by the other two suspects in the proceedings. Also the policeman 's testimony pointed to Tajomaru as the murder.
We change focus to Lester Nygaard, a weak willed, mild mannered man. He is in conversation with Malvo at the emergency room after a confrontation a bully, Sam Hess. Lester talks of Hess, Malvo mistakes this as an assassination request and murders Hess. Unaware of the murder Lester goes home. His wife belittles him further, just as Hess did. Suddenly Lester can take it no longer and thumps his wife with a hammer, she dies. Lester is now not only associated with a killer, but is a killer himself.
The struggles both characters face demonstrate character development and contribute to the themes of the stories. Both short stories prove to be literally effective in that they disclose the main themes at the outset of each story. Although the themes may alter over the course of the stories, they are clearly defined in their respective introductions.
Richard’s mother was baffled by his action, and she was able to punish him in a way that he was able to become aware of his horror of taking a life. The setting emphasizes horror: “But my mother, being more imaginative, retaliated with an assault upon my sensibilities that crushed me with the moral horror involved in taking a life.” (24) His mother forces him to bury and pray for the kitten. His mother made him repeat several forgiving sentences aloud. The lesson prevented Richard from disrespecting another life again, such as the life of the