Crime, Revenge and Morality in Killings Essay - 888 Words

The story of â€Å"Killings† by Andre Dubus looked into the themes of crime, revenge and morality. The crime committed in the story depicted the father’s love for his son and the desire to avenge his son’s death. However, his own crime led to his own destruction as he was faced with questions of morality. The character found himself in a difficult position after taking his revenge. He failed to anticipate the guilt associated with the crime he committed. Feelings of anger and righteousness are illustrated by the character throughout the story. Primarily, â€Å"Killings† concerns a crime and its consequences. The lead character, Matt Fowler goes one step too far and identifies with the evil that tragically marred his life-the murder of his son.†¦show more content†¦In carrying out the deed, Fowler became isolated even to those sympathize with his violence. As a reader, one can sympathize with the part of him that desired nothing more than killing Strout and the part of him horrified by his own desire. Indeed, the killings linked the original slaying of Fowler’s son and his retaliation. It suggests that there may be no important moral distinction between the two acts and that it may further imply the effect on Fowler himself. At the end of the story, Fowler became isolated by his own act. He could not tell to his children and he cannot even make love to his wife. The revenge he has taken that resulted to the same act of killing became a sad issue in the story. The murder depressed him and he was confused between the clear guilt of Strout and the knowledge that despite the apparent guilt, he was still a human being. At the end of the story when Strout is murdered, Matt is left with guilt and a feeling of isolation. As Dubus wrote, â€Å"The gun kicked in Matt’s hand, and the explosion of the shot surrounded him, isolated him in a nimbus of sound that cut him off from all his time, all his history, isolated him standing absolutely still on the dirt road with the gun in his hand† ( ). Eventually, the story is unsettling because of the desire to take revenge and the feeling of isolation brought by the murder. The first consequence of his act was the profound isolation he had to suffer himself. Fowler suffered for his cruelty. ThereShow MoreRelatedCask Of The Amontillado, By Edgar Allan Poe1373 Words   |  6 Pagesnamed Montresor. The theme in this tale is that of revenge. Montresor, the main antagonist and murderer, claims his vengeance is justified and that while he is committing a crime he is doing so justifiably. Raymond Struckhart of Berlin University, in Germany also concurs my position; by also claiming Montresor is to blame. 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