Short Story 'Killings' By Andre Dubus

Improved Essays
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 with my wife,” was the reasoning that he gave Matt, Frank’s father, for killing Frank (6). Richard was mad that Frank’s wife was moving on with a different man and wasn’t fixing things with him he said to Matt, “I wanted to try to get together with her

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Imagine that one is a parent with children, in a small town, and one day a child that one raised was murdered in such a gruesome way that it makes someone cringe. The next thing that happens is that one finds out that the man who had killed the child was released by the police and is roaming around town freely. The next thing that one realizes is that one has kidnapped the man and is taking him to a secluded area to kill him. Once there one has thoughts about letting him go, but one cannot because one has already commenced the crime so one must go through with it. A man who was once the killer with a victim is now the victim with a killer.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Harrowing, terrifying, broken-down, home of death…” This was the way Henry Camden spoke of the home where the morbid events of his childhood took place. It was a cool, refreshing, early August afternoon when Camden was relaxing on his front porch. He lived in a neighborhood where the sounds of laughter and play rang throughout the streets.…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    You are an imprisoned prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do? This question is presented to the reader on the front cover of the book “The Sunflower” written by Simon Wiesenthal, who was a Jewish prisoner in a concentration camp during the 1940s. When Simon was asked for forgiveness from Karl, the SS soldier, Simon did not forgive him and kept his silence due to the pain he felt from suffering, war, and turmoil.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Forgiven In The Sunflower

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Should one be forgiven for their horrendous actions? Should someone be forgiven if they really meant it? How could one be sure they are sincere? What if the atrocities were so unhuman, and disgusting? These are the questions I was left with when reading The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Like the Creature in Frankenstein, the Marquis almost seems remorseful when he condemns his wife to death: ‘And it seemed to me he was in despair’ this along with the ‘terrible, guilty joy’ shows a kind of natural inclination to evil – though he knows that these acts are wrong he still on some level wants to commit them and enjoys them. However the Marquis’ knowledge that what he is doing is…

    • 1803 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The epigraph by Seneca, which means which refers to Dupin’s amazing analytical abilities. Both the Minister and Dupin have equally matched minds, that combine skills of mathematician and poet. At the end, Dupin is the one who wins because of his moral strength: The Minister is a man without principles, as he did not put second thought into trying to blackmail the lady, who is, presumably, the Queen, so that he can rise in position and status. Minister D.’ s ability to outwit the police in his crime proves that he is a worthy adversary for Dupin. Dupin’s critics to Monsieur G. are by no means a personal attack to him.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Character Foils In Hamlet

    • 1374 Words
    • 5 Pages

    While murder is never acceptable, the remorse one has for committing such a crime can be a good indication of whether they deserve forgiveness. In Hamlet by Shakespeare, the remorselessness of foil characters is used to highlight Hamlet’s remorse. Hamlet’s regret for killing Polonius when Gertrude says, “To draw apart the body he hath kill’d: / O 'er whom his very madness, like some ore / Among a mineral of metals base, / Shows itself pure; He weeps for what is done” (4.1.24-27). Upon learning that it was actually Polonius who Hamlet has stabbed, Hamlet feels threatened.…

    • 1374 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    "Know the phrase, forgive and forget? That phrase doesn't exist. Everyone remembers who's wronged them. The little moments where something small ballooned into something much bigger. Even if people forgive you, who is that forgiveness for?…

    • 78 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is to be used as a tool to allow the victim to not feel helpless, but to gain control of his/her life. Forgiving someone or a group of people that perpetrated such a horrific crime, does not equal to forgetting the act. To the contrary, it is a reminder the victim has made the perpetrator to acknowledge the crime, and realize the pain he or she inflicted to the victim. The perpetrator can ask for forgiveness multiple times, but until the victim has reach the point where is ready to let go of the “poison” the anger has inflicted on him/her. Simon Wiesenthal, at the time Karl, the dying SS officer, asked him to forgive him for the crimes he committed to other Jews, was not able to grant such forgiveness.…

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    One is often taught to ask for forgiveness beginning at a young age and is taught that if they do something wrong, then asking for forgiveness will help make it better. Revenge and forgiveness often times interfere with each other. When something goes wrong, someone wants revenge and someone wants to be able to forgive or ask for forgiveness. In William Shakespeare 's, Hamlet, it is shown that King Hamlet’s death, causes many to want revenge, while the others ask for forgiveness. A similar story is shown in Andre Dubus’s “Killings”, where a father goes on to take revenge for his son 's murder to only end up regretting the revenge he had taken.…

    • 1690 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout history, Richard III has been described as the most cruel of kings. Shakespeare’s famous play about said king has largely contributed to this image; the murderer of a big part of his family, kids even, people who cared about him. That might be the most bizarre thing: how Richard found it in his heart to do such horrifying things. For some reason, that family bond meant less to him than becoming king, the most powerful of all. But we should ask ourselves, was Richard his own maker or was he shaped by his situation?…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    When someone makes a mistake they will learn. It's they way they are treated that will change them. Forgiveness is the act of letting someone get away with the hope that they will learn from it and not do it again. In mitch Albom’s the five people you meet in heaven, it sets in a world where a man named Eddie is learning about his life from heaven. He learns from 1 out of 5 people that forgiveness is the best way.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Heart Mender shows that forgiveness is not an easy task to complete. It is not as easy to forgive and forget like most would say. Learning to forgive is a great lesson everyone needs. Forgiveness is probably one of the hardest things to do. Before forgiveness comes into play someone has to do, or something has to go wrong.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When Forgiving Is Wrong

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When it comes to the topic of forgiving or unforgiving crimes I believe it is based off a person’s personal beliefs. In my opinion, there are young kids who are impetuous and partake in foolish acts not knowing or understanding their actions could have serious consequences that can ruin their future. That being said, there are some crimes that can be forgiven as long as they learn from their mistakes. Recently, I read about a crime committed by a sixteen-year-old boy named Blake Layman. Layman and a few of his friends attempted to rob a man’s house by the name of Rodney Scott.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    An opposite of forgiveness, almost a polar opposite, is blame. Blame is acusing someone of something they may or may not have done . Another example forgiveness is exculpation. This frees a person from any blame and gult from a mistake. Exoneration is yet another example forgivenes This is the act to clear an…

    • 55 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays