The Intruder By Andre Dubus Analysis

The young teenage boy’s tolerance and self-control concept can be described in many ways. Some are already smoking and drinking by freshman year in high school; while some are watching a ton of pornography and masturbating daily. In Andre Dubus’s The Intruder, there was a young teenage boy named Kenneth Girard. Kenny did not know his identity and Dubus gave us many hints in the story to show us why he was so lost. Kenny was caught up with his religion which made him unsure about himself. Through religion, how his rifle played a role, and expectations of being “the man” of the house and the role of his sister made The Intruder a very interesting read for everyone. The role of religion made Kenny very judgmental when it came to making choices. The main one was the urge …show more content…
Kenny and his identity was brainwashed by this role. With his obsession of his rifle and the hatred towards his sister’s boyfriend. “He worked slowly, pausing often to listen for Douglas’s car he wanted to be cleaning his rifle when Douglas came.” (223) .This shows how Kenny wanted to make a statement to her boyfriend. But how he approached it was a little too extreme knowing his age. Since Douglas was on the football team. Kenny looked at him like he was the biggest douchebag. Dubus showed it through Kenny’s emotions. When Kenny heard that noise before he shot Douglas. “Kenneth rose and moved away from the wall, standing close to his bed now, he aimed through the screen and found the side of the man’s head then fired.” (227) .The author showed that Kenny was being protective and protecting the house from an intruder. But in reality he knew it was Douglas, so he could shoot him due to how much he hates him. When his dad came home he told Kenny “It was a prowler.” (227) .This was only said so Kenny would feel awful about himself when in reality we all know he shot Douglas on