Revenge Kills
...with conflict on a daily basis resulting in emotions of darkness and despair. A jealous husband angered by the fact that his estranged wife is involved in a new relationship, acts out in a presumable crime of passion and murders the man she was seeing. As a result of this crime, a father suffers the loss of his son and plots retaliation, which results in the killing of his son’s murder. The reader is plunged into a father’s struggle to cope with his son’s death, his subsequent actions of "justice”, and finally what is left when it is all said and done. To better understand the author’s message, one must consider Andre Dubus’ background. Dubus’ life was scarred by the tragedy of his sister being raped as a young woman. This caused him many years of paranoia over his loved ones safety and led him to carry personal firearms to protect himself and those around him (“Giving”). The story Killings is a reflection of Dubus’ own misfortunes. It revolves around inner and external conflict and ultimately reveals, through the title, plot, and characters, the dominate theme of revenge.
Though it may be easy to overlook, the title of the story is important. With the name Killings, Dubus begins his statement by considering not only the physical tragedies of death, but also the psychological changes and suffering of Frank’s loved ones. The victim’s death was so disturbing for Frank’s parents, Matt and Ruth, that the father’s heart was dying to kill the perpetrator. Matt tells his friend, Willis Trottier, “(Ruth) can’t even go out for cigarettes and aspirin” without seeing Strout, “it’s killing her” (Dubus 103). The constant daydreaming of Frank’s murder emotionally killed his parents, putting them in a state of vengeance and searching for “justice”.
The revenge theme can also be noted by analyzing the plot. Throughout the whole story there is a motif of revenge that is...
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