Andre Dubus's "Killings" is a story about love and murder. Richard Strout took the life of an innocent man. He was then murdered in return. Two men committed murder in this story, but only one was a killer. This is why the title "Killings" better suits the story, rather than "Killers".
Matt Fowler is not a killer. Matt is fifty-four year old, happily married man. He had three children, until his youngest son Frank was murdered by a man named Richard Strout. Matt owns his own business, which is a women's clothing store. He does well for himself both at work and at home. Matt has a good relationship with his wife, Ruth and loves her dearly. Matt had a very strong relationship with his children, especially Frank. He was a very loving and caring father. "He had always been a fearful father: when his children were young, at the start of the summer he thought of them drowning in a pond or the sea, and he was relieved when he would come home in the evenings and they were there"(26; all page references are to class text, The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 5th ed.). It may seem that every parent is like this, but to have this quality really shows what kind of person you are. Matt has a very strong heart and is a very caring person. Matt just doesn't have the qualities of a killer. .
When Frank died, this deeply wounded his family. It could be because Frank was the only one still living in the house. Matt's two other children lived far away. His relationships with his other two children were really not talked about in the story. If Matt's relationship with his other children was anything like Frank and his, then it was very strong. Matt and Frank had a very close relationship. It could be because he knew that Frank would be moving out soon to. Maybe he wanted to build a special bond with him because he felt like he had lost his other two children. Whatever it was the relationship was strong. It really showed what kind of a person Matt was.
In his short story "The Fat Girl," Andre Dubus shows the destructive way society views food and addiction and how it adversely affects woman. ... In the story "The Fat Girl," Dubus describes how her mother thinks she will not find a significant other because of her weight: "In five years you'll be in high school and if you're fat the boys won't like you; they won't ask you out....
The story by Andre Dubus titled Killings focuses on the themes of love and revenge. ... Andre Dubus portrays Matt Fowler as loving to his children and his wife. ... To his children, Andre states that he was a protective father. ... Thus, Andre Dubus wrote, "And beneath his listless wandering every day in his soul he shot Richard Strout in the face.... There are many adverse consequences, which the family of Matt could encounter (Dubus). ...
The primary sources we discussed would include; Andre Dubus III's Townie, the diaries of Jack Kerouac, and the literary journalism of George Orwell. ... In the case of Andre Dubus III's primary source, Townie, Brothers, is the secondary source, written by Andre Dubus (his father). ... Townie is written from the perspective of Andre Dubus III that is biased to his own perception of his life. In a specific scene from Townie, Dubus III explains a Boston Red Sox game his father gave him tickets to. ... This describes the true character of Dubus and the role he had in the relationship b...
We also looked at the story of Andre Dubus. ... Since God is in everything as Dubus points out, "God is in me, as he is in the light, the earth, the leaf", you would think this would be easy, but it is not. Dubus says, "If I were much wiser, and much more patient, and had much greater concentration, I could sit in silence in my chair, look out my windows at a green tree and the blue sky, and know that breathing is a gift; that a breath is efficient for the moment; and that breathing air is breathing God." ...
In Andre Dubus, "Killings"," a man is faced with seeing his son's murderer all through the town his wife and him reside in. ... Dubus plays out the emotions of a father who loses his son and how he survives through during this critical time of his life. ... "Strout came in the front door and shot Frank twice in the chest and once in the face with a 9mm automatic"" (Dubus, pg.100, Killings", The Compact Bedford Intro to Literature). ... "He was making with my wife"" (Dubus, pg.102, Killings", The Compact Bedford Intro to Literature). ... Then Matt went to him and shot him once in the ba...
In the short story, "The Fat Girl," Andre Dubus, depicts how judgment on one's physical appearance often leads to a low self-esteem in the future, even at a young age. ... In conclusion, "The Fat Girl," by Andre Dubus, portrays the battle being fought by a female throughout her childhood into her maturity. ...
A traumatizing childhood further complicates the already difficult process of maturing. In Andre Dubus's "Townies," Mike's inability to properly integrate himself into society stems from the disturbing event of his father committing suicide. Wandering throughout town, Mike, unlike Robin, appears alo...
Differences and Similarities Between Matt Fowler in Andre Dubus" Killings and Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning Justice is not a word that appears very often in the average person's speech. ... Two prime examples are Matt Fowler in Andre Dubus" Killings and Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. ... Through all of the evidence given above, it is clear that there are many differences as well as similarities between Matt Fowler in Andre Dubus" Killings and Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. ... Works Cited Dubus, Andre. ...
Differences and Similarities Between Matt Fowler in Andre Dubus" Killings and Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning Justice is not a word that appears very often in the average person's speech. ... Two prime examples are Matt Fowler in Andre Dubus" Killings and Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. ... Through all of the evidence given above, it is clear that there are many differences as well as similarities between Matt Fowler in Andre Dubus" Killings and Abner Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning. ...
