Character Analysis Of Bullet In The Brain By Tobias Wolff

“Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff is about a book critic named Anders who is shot in the head during a bank robbery. During the time span of the bullet piercing through his skull, he experiences memories he does not remember. Anders is presented to be an arrogant and unsympathetic character at the beginning of the story. His interaction with the woman in front of him shows how he is pessimistic about people and does not care about other’s feelings. Consequently, he becomes nonchalant during the bank robbery. He does not realize the gravity of the situation and acts as if he was criticizing a book. He seems unable of censoring himself or realize there are a time and place for everything. With this attitude, it triggered the bank robber to …show more content…
I pitied him because what changed him. It made me think about my future career as an accountant. Will I become bored of my life because I’ll be doing the same things over and over again until I retire? I know my life is already predictable, but at least there’s still that tiny hope I have that one day I’ll find something that would make my life more unpredictable. This character, however, doesn't have the slightest optimism. He’s at that point, like the jealous husband, where it’s too late to change. There’s no way for him to reverse the situation or his attitude. He lost his chance to change now since he’s dead. It makes me wonder what happens after he died. Will there be any one that would miss him other than his family members? Or if his family members would even miss him? In some ways, he reminds of Scrooge from the “Christmas Carol.” At least Scrooge had a happy ending, unlike …show more content…
My friend told me that since I’ve started working, I’ve been smiling less and I used to look more relaxed and happier. I laughed when he said that because he was right, I have changed. I’ve become less optimistic and gradually became more pessimistic throughout the years. The job I have now is the only job I’ve ever had. I had no work experience whatsoever. So, when I got the call for the job, I was elated. I was finally going to make my own money. I enjoyed my job at first. All I have to do was make drinks. I had no other responsibilities other making drinks and serving customers. It all changed when I was promoted to become a supervisor. More responsibilities were given to me on top of my busy college life. I struggled juggling school and work. Even now, my schedule only consists of work, school, study, eat, and sleep; with the occasion of being forced to socialize with the outside by my friends. I also noticed that I became slightly distant with my family members. They're all asleep when I get home from work and are gone when I wake to go to school. On the bright side, at least I’m not as unsympathetic as the main character. I still have that little optimism in me. I’m just stressed and in need of a