Authors and directors have to make many choices to make when writing a story or writing a script for a movie, and each choice could have a very impactful outcome to the characters in the work. The different choices the director or writer makes can add drama, suspense, and emotion to their works. In the short story “Killings,” and in the movie, “In the Bedroom,” author Andre Dubus, and director Todd Fields made impactful decisions that added suspense and emotion throughout their work, and these moments in their writing added power and drama for readers enjoyment.
In the short story “Killings” by Andre Dubus used symbolism to give emotion to the character. He chose to incorporate facial expressions, especially the eyes, to allow the readers to feel the character's reaction and feelings. When Matt’s son died, family and community members felt sorry for his loss, and he could “see the affection and courtesy in their eyes” (1176). Dubus described Stout as having “dark eyes” (1178); Stout was a dark and cold-blooded individual who was jealous of Frank for having Mary Ann. Frank’s eyes had “blood under the white of the eye” (1178); Frank was innocent and sometimes the color white symbolizes death and mourning, which would be his fate later in the story. Other examples of Dubus showing character emotion through the eyes was when Matt “recalled Mary eyes, the pain in them, and he was conscious of the circles of love he was touching” (1184). Matt wanted revenge for his son’s death, and he was reminded of the complexity of situation with Mary Ann’s divorce not finalized. Because Dubus incorporated such a small detail like the eyes, the readers were given more character sensation that would not have been present if this choice was excluded. This small detail might have been overlooked when first reading, but noting the symbolism between the eyes and emotions pulls the story together from the beginning to the end. Another one of Dubus’ writing choices was to go into detail about Stout’s home. Dubus elaborated and went in depth on the cleanliness and organization, along with the picture of Mary Ann and her boys hanging on the wall. This in-depth description adds complexity to the story because Dubus did not bluntly state Stout had another women. Stout was mad that Mary Ann had been seeing Frank, but all along Stout had been with other women, making him a hypocrite. Matt also realized that Mary Ann had been happy with Stout at one time in her life. He saw a picture on the wall of her …show more content…
Dubus had a greater focus on character emotions, which he expressed by describing their eyes, and also he was more straightforward describing the killing of Stout. Field’s version of “The Killings” centered on the relationships between the different characters and how the death of Frank affected the family and friends. This choice made an emotional film focused on Frank’s death rather than the revenge and killing of Stout. The choices and authorial decisions of both Dubus and Field’s impacted the effect of the story line by creating a dramatic and suspenseful story line. Both the author and director made the choice of leaving the readers question whether Matt was caught or escaped punishment for his
In the short story “Killings” by Andre Dubus used symbolism to give emotion to the character. He chose to incorporate facial expressions, especially the eyes, to allow the readers to feel the character's reaction and feelings. When Matt’s son died, family and community members felt sorry for his loss, and he could “see the affection and courtesy in their eyes” (1176). Dubus described Stout as having “dark eyes” (1178); Stout was a dark and cold-blooded individual who was jealous of Frank for having Mary Ann. Frank’s eyes had “blood under the white of the eye” (1178); Frank was innocent and sometimes the color white symbolizes death and mourning, which would be his fate later in the story. Other examples of Dubus showing character emotion through the eyes was when Matt “recalled Mary eyes, the pain in them, and he was conscious of the circles of love he was touching” (1184). Matt wanted revenge for his son’s death, and he was reminded of the complexity of situation with Mary Ann’s divorce not finalized. Because Dubus incorporated such a small detail like the eyes, the readers were given more character sensation that would not have been present if this choice was excluded. This small detail might have been overlooked when first reading, but noting the symbolism between the eyes and emotions pulls the story together from the beginning to the end. Another one of Dubus’ writing choices was to go into detail about Stout’s home. Dubus elaborated and went in depth on the cleanliness and organization, along with the picture of Mary Ann and her boys hanging on the wall. This in-depth description adds complexity to the story because Dubus did not bluntly state Stout had another women. Stout was mad that Mary Ann had been seeing Frank, but all along Stout had been with other women, making him a hypocrite. Matt also realized that Mary Ann had been happy with Stout at one time in her life. He saw a picture on the wall of her …show more content…
Dubus had a greater focus on character emotions, which he expressed by describing their eyes, and also he was more straightforward describing the killing of Stout. Field’s version of “The Killings” centered on the relationships between the different characters and how the death of Frank affected the family and friends. This choice made an emotional film focused on Frank’s death rather than the revenge and killing of Stout. The choices and authorial decisions of both Dubus and Field’s impacted the effect of the story line by creating a dramatic and suspenseful story line. Both the author and director made the choice of leaving the readers question whether Matt was caught or escaped punishment for his