Andre Dubus

Killings is a short story written by Andre Dubus. It was first published in, The Sewanee Review, in 1979. The story was also later turned into a film called, The Bedroom, by Todd Field in 2001. The story is based on love, murder, revenge and morality with an interesting twist. Dubus tells the tale in a flat, calm way. The setting of the story takes place in a small blue - collar town in Massachusetts. It opens with a gloomy August morning with the burial of twenty-one year old, Frank Fowler. Frank is the son of Matt and Ruth Fowler, he is a graduate student from a local university. He is dating Mary An Strout, the ex-wife of Richard Strout. He had been having some trouble with his relationship with Mary Ann due to Richard intercepting and causing trouble. Frank is shot in the face and chest and murdered by Richard one Saturday night in front of his two sons. Along to grief at the funeral were Frank’s siblings, Steve and Cathleen. Richard was known for his hot temper and indecent attitude. It was his very attitude that caused his divorce of six years with, Mary Ann. He was a twenty-six year old football scholar who dropped out and worked as a bartender.…

Writer by Andre Dubus III sounds like it might take you through a wonderful journey of becoming an author. Much to my surprise the memoir was more about a broken soldier rather than an author. In the early years of Dubus’ life his father was never around because he was a Marine deployed in Japan. When his dad finally came home for good, his family seemed pretty solid and happy. They didn’t have much money, however, they hosted many parties and his father…

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.…

Paralleling the character of Luke Ripley is Dubus’ own moral and ethical dilemmas associated with the rituals and traditions of the Catholic Church (Bodwell, 2008). Born in 1936, in the State of Louisiana, Dubus was both raised and educated in the deep Catholic south (Bodwell, 2008). Dubus, despite personal difficulties of being bound to the ethics of the Catholic Church, remained Catholic and wrote of the moral dilemmas facing Catholic Christians in relation to the rules of the church…

The story “Killings” by Andre Dubus contains the physical and psychological conflict one deals in when it comes to the ones we love.”I Should kill him”(110), are the first thoughts someone can have when angry but do we really want to follow them through or do we say them to let off frustration never intending to act on in? Even when the act is completely thought through and can be executed, it's not the physical struggle to act but the conflict with in, on weather to act, that we have to face as…

Andre Dubus’s short story, “Killings”, examines the psychology effects of other people after a person has been killed. The story discusses the ramifications of the original murder, the subsequent actions of “justice,” and finally how the character go on with their lives. Dubus clearly examines how one family deals with the death of their youngest son. “Killings”, written in a very disconnected manner starts with no beginning details. Throughout the entire story Dubus never takes a side, never…

What would you give up to achieve happiness? 1960’s America answered that question in the form of declining family values. This era ushered in an increase of irresponsibility affecting families; namely the children of those families. In 2011, an award winning fiction author, Andre Dubus III, published his memoir “Townie: A Memoir,” a non-fiction work. It is a story of a young boy’s ending childhood at the hands of his father’s pursuit of becoming a writer and the accompanying lifestyle that…

authors base their works of off. These styles can depict how the author is feeling, the world around them or an event in the past. The American author Andre Dubus displays a very unique type of writing. In Andre’s writing he writes mainly about the nature of actions and the struggles by which men experience when things go wrong. Andre’s life is filled with many tragic experiences in which transform to the style, themes, tone, and setting of his writings.…

“One Hundred and Eighty Four Pound Louise” In Andre Dubus’ short story “The Fat Girl” (125) he gives us insight into eating disorders and mental health from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s. Throughout this piece he uses formal language along with a third person narrator to illustrate how someone could lead a double life; like that of “fat” (126) and “thin” (136) Louise. This story uses the characters opinion of self, societal influence, as well as neglect and lack of support to bring…

Throughout the short story “Killings” by Andre Dubus one of the characters Richard Strout who murderer of Frank, who walks around town a free man. Someone may become easier to forgive for their actions if they commit a crime and feel bad and have remorse for their actions. On the other hand, they become unforgivable when they show no signs of remorse or do not feel bad. Richard killed Frank out of jealousy and has no remorse for his actions, and does not deserve forgiveness. “He was making it…