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"Killings" by Andre Dubus is a brief story about a daddy who seeks out revenge for the murder of his twenty-one years of age son only to learn that vengeance will just make things worse. The father, Matt Fowler, is haunted by the disaster that has actually befallen his youngest son. Retribution is a typical human desire since individuals feel that it uses the truest kind of justice; nevertheless, this action is against the law of the land and is believed of as careless to pursue.
The author utilizes foreshadowing, imagery, and dialogue to highlight a tone of prudence when thinking of taking vengeance into one's own hand.
In the story the literary element of foreshadowing is used. The desire to get even is an emotion that is felt by all people and is not biased as to who feels it. That desire is shown at the beginning of the story. This is revealed when the author writes, "Matt's older child, Steve, relied on him as the household left the grave and strolled between their good friends, and stated: 'I need to kill him'" (1203 ).
This threatening statement reveals how the sensation of vengeance causes the character to not think of the effects when pursuing revenge for what is thought of as real justice.
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The author even more develops how the sensation of retribution clouds cautious analyzing foreshadowing when he writes, "'I've got a. 38 I have actually had for years, I take it to the store now ... She knows I started bring it after the very first time she saw him in town.
She understands it remains in case I see him and there's some sort of situation. '" (1204 ).
This indicates that not only is vengeance to be looked for out however also the methods by which Matt Fowler prepares to specific his vengeance without any idea of repercussion. The author's usage of images creates a picture of how the daddy's vengeance for his kid's murder happens when Matt waits on the murderer to leave of work so that he can take the killer and his vehicle back to the killer's home. The author explains the scene with vivid information when he composes, "... he stopped and aimed over the hood at Strout's blue shirt ten feet away ... They drove throughout the empty front lot and onto the roadway.
Willis’s headlights shining into the car; then back through the town, the sea wall left hiding the beach, though far out Matt could see the ocean; he uncocked the revolver: on the right were the places, most with their neon signs off, that did so much business in summer…the street itself empty of traffic…” (1209). The description of the abduction of the killer creates a mental picture to the reader of how the father planned to obtain the murderer and exact his revenge. The use of magery is also evident when the author describes the preparations taken for getting even when the author writes, “Beyond the marsh they drove through woods, Matt thinking now of the hole he and Willis dug last Sunday afternoon…as they dug into the soft earth on the knoll they had chosen because elms and maples sheltered it” (1210). The prose writer not only creates a picture of how the father obtains the murder to exact retaliation but also where the killer would be disposed of.
The author uses imagery to show that the character had plenty of opportunities to have second thoughts of seeking vengeance but used no caution and thought only of revenge. The author’s use of dialogue enhances the tone of caution when thinking of taking vengeance outside of the legal system. This is apparent in the father’s reply to the murderer when the author writes, “‘You’re not going to jail’” (1212). Matt Fowler’s response to the killer not going to jail through dialogue shows that he has no intentions of letting the justice system handle Strout’s punishment.
The author further reinforces the tone through dialogue when he show’s the father’s distaste with the legal system. This is illustrated when the scribe writes, “‘I’ll do twenty years, Mr. Fowler; at least. I’ll be forty-six years old. ’ ‘That’s nine years younger than I am,’ Matt said…” (1214). The father’s response gives the reader insight to Matt’s thoughts of true justice and how no caution was used when pursuing this course of action. In conclusion, the author uses foreshadowing, imagery, and dialogue to set a tone of caution when thinking about taking vengeance outside of the legal system.
This desire for reprisal is all too common, especially to those who have been victimized, to feel that if one wrong is committed that another wrong will cancel it out. Revenge is ill advised by most as people who say two wrongs don’t make a right and the memories will never fade. The story, “Killings” by Andre Dubus, illustrates how a father seeks out revenge for the murder of his twenty-one year old son and takes matters into his own hands only to discover that revenge only makes matters in his life worse.
Striving for Justice in Killings by Andre Dubus. (2017, Jan 24). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/striving-for-justice-in-killings-by-andre-dubus-essay
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