Reflection

This research blog was not a very easy task. You had to be very careful while reading. The most important details where the small ones that you could possibly read right over (like I did multiple times). The author's use of the eyes was a huge detail that I missed on my first few reads. However, those details are extremely crucial to the tone and theme of the story.  After the eye details finally clicked with me, the passage made more sense, exponentially. The killings of the hopes and dreams were also a huge detail that you had to pull from inbetween the text. Those two details give you understanding, but you have to use your schema and basic knowledge on life and people to be able to draw those conclusions. My biggest problem with this research at the beginning, was that I was not reading outwardly. It is easy to get lost within the plot and details of the scenery and what's going inside a character's head, but if you take the time to dig deep, you can get a lot out of this little short story. I really don't have any questions left, the story basically revolves around morality and human nature. I sympthsize for both Frank's parents, and even Frank's killer. Two wrongs do not make a right. How small or how drastic of the wrong is irrelevant. Perhaps one question would be if the family eventually finds peace or will Matt live with guilt for the rest of his life. Based on my views, I'd say he'd end up living with regret. It's not what he intended, in fact it's the exact opposite, but you can't just a kill a guy. It's not your place, even for revenge. I liked the story, but it was somewhat difficult. If I had to do anything differently, I would've not waisted so much time on the research part and spent a little more time on the analytical part. I read the story multiple times, and I read internet articles multiple times; it was very neccessary. Would I do it again? Probably not, but I did take a lot from this project, both in a literary sense, and psychological/sociological one.

Pattern - Killings

Another pattern that was apparent in the story, were the actual killings. Yes, it started with Frank, but the deaths were not limited to people. As mentioned in an earlier post, a critic claims the deaths in the story were also that of the future, hopes, and even dreams. If you include that aquisation then the pattern of killings becomes much deeper and complex in meaning. After the death of Frank, his parents' hopes and dreams of Frank's future also died. This would cause the tight-nit relationship between Frank's parents to also deminish.  It is a series of events, one leads to another. The pain of the parents causes Matt to seek revenge, and he did, which would end the life of Strout and his own future. It's a pattern of deaths of people, relationships, and ideals. When one person dies, many things go with him, and you can't get them back. Andre Dubus presents this pattern very descretly, but you can see it is there if you take the time to focus on and analyze the reactions of the characters. Death changes everything, and Dubus presented it that way.

Pattern - Eyes

A person's eyes are the gateway to his/her soul. The eyes are a constant reoccuring theme in the story. Dubus uses facial expressions and visual images to present the character's true emotions. The pattern lasts throughout the passage and are referenced many times.

A few examples are:

• "beneath her eyes there was swelling from the three days she had suffered"
• "the eyes of his clerks and customers defeated him"
• "wishing those eyes were oblivious and even cold"
• "Matt recalled her eyes, the pain in them, and he was conscious of the circles of love he was touching with the hand that held the revolver."

Even as Strout's death approached, Matt could not look the man in his eyes. He feared that if he looked into them, he wouldn't see a murder, he'd see a man with a family. He couldn't do that because he wanted Strout dead. The author also describes the setting in a way that symbolizes that things could be calm, that he could turn around, but that is not an option for Matt. The author used this pattern to convey the tone of the passage, he used it to bring out the dark and painful emotions of all those involved within the story. It is also a very powerful logical tool.

Patterns

There are a few underlying patterns within the story that are not too obvious, but they are there. Dubus' continual references to the eyes, and what people see (or didn't see) is a very important pattern that developed much of the tone of the story. Obviously killings are another pattern, yet they are not really the death of people. The killings that are patterned in the story are deaths of dreams and hopes. They were murdered and lost, which is the central point of the story. Both examples are heavily evident from the beginning to the end of the story and crucial to its overall development.

Criticism

This literary criticism article paints the piece in a both positive and negative way. She speaks of how developed the characters and plot were and how Dubus made it so human and lifelike. She is also personally frustrated with Matt's decision. However, most importantly, she speaks of how there were several killings, not just the two obvious ones. She opens a new door to thought when she speaks of how dreams of the future and close family connections that were destroyed as "killings" and thus concluded it was 5:1 against Strout, yet Matt didn't consider the ties that Strout also lost. She makes a comment of how the title "Killings" is appropriate rather than "Killers," because its not about the killers, its about what was taken away.

Criticism Article One



This next article says basically the same thing but speaks more heavily on the symbolism that can be found. The struggles of morality is all there. However, he points out a pattern in the story by Dubus' use of the eyes to show the reader the pain and struggles. He uses it without the story.  He commends the development of the characters and their realistic feelings and interactions, and the love and feelings they have with each other.

Criticism Article Two

Summary of "Killings" by Andre Dubus

Killings, by Andre Dubus is a very complex story personifying the age old tale of pain and revenge.  The story is mainly centered around how a couple deals with the death of their son, Frank. Frank's death was not an accident either which deepens the wounds of his parents, Matt and Ruth. As the result of the deathly triangle of love, a plot to avenge Frank's death was spawned and began to be carried out against the murderer, Richard Strout. Matt and a friend carry out the deed to avenge his son and put their family's hearts to rest. The grave was already dug, and the deed was done without any eye contact due to fear of remorse. The story plays off of morals and the development of the complexity of the characters. Just as the title depicts, it's all about the killings.