A Decision to Make Up for the Past Tobias Wolff’s Bullet in the Brain tells the story of the death of the main character, Anders. Anders makes a decision that leads to his death, when he decides to talk back to the gunmen that are robbing the bank he is in. His decision to talk back comes from numerous pressures and motivations. He is pressured by the other victims in the bank, and by one the gunmen. Anders is also pressured by his internal need to preserve his life, and his inability, or unwillingness, to control his witty, sarcastic impulses. While these pressures are working on Anders, there are motivations that ultimately cause him to respond to the gunman in a way that causes him to shoot. These motivations include Anders knowledge of
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He is a thoughtful, witty, intelligent man, but at times, his sarcasm overshadows these traits. This sarcasm comes to light as he responds to the complaints of the women ahead of him in line. He says, “Tragic, really. If they’re not chopping off the wrong leg, or bombing your ancestral village, they’re closing their positions” (Wolff 200). This statement comes off as rude, or even mean, but there are undercurrents of wit and intelligence. This moment isn’t high intensity or high risk, but it is important as it shows what Anders is willing to say to another human being aloud, especially when in a “murderous temper” (200). This willingness to say what he is thinking only became a problem when there was someone willing to challenge him, and more importantly threaten his life. When Anders responds to the masked man’s bazaar comment with, “’Bright boy.’ Right out of ‘The Killers’” (202), the gunman physically moves to Anders. This is when the threat to Anders’ life increases drastically and his impulse to protect his own life finally kicks in. The pressures from the women, the gunman and Anders’ own self-preservation turn out to be no match for Anders’ impulses. However, his motivations to let his impulses win indicate a more nuanced decision than what can originally be detected. He is a thoughtful man with a history of critiquing human
He is a thoughtful, witty, intelligent man, but at times, his sarcasm overshadows these traits. This sarcasm comes to light as he responds to the complaints of the women ahead of him in line. He says, “Tragic, really. If they’re not chopping off the wrong leg, or bombing your ancestral village, they’re closing their positions” (Wolff 200). This statement comes off as rude, or even mean, but there are undercurrents of wit and intelligence. This moment isn’t high intensity or high risk, but it is important as it shows what Anders is willing to say to another human being aloud, especially when in a “murderous temper” (200). This willingness to say what he is thinking only became a problem when there was someone willing to challenge him, and more importantly threaten his life. When Anders responds to the masked man’s bazaar comment with, “’Bright boy.’ Right out of ‘The Killers’” (202), the gunman physically moves to Anders. This is when the threat to Anders’ life increases drastically and his impulse to protect his own life finally kicks in. The pressures from the women, the gunman and Anders’ own self-preservation turn out to be no match for Anders’ impulses. However, his motivations to let his impulses win indicate a more nuanced decision than what can originally be detected. He is a thoughtful man with a history of critiquing human