Analysis Of Bullet In The Brain By Tobias Wolff

In the novel Prisoner B-3087 by: Alan Gratz, the author uses conflict to develop the theme. Prisoner B-3087 is a book about a Jewish boy named Yanek that lived during World War II and the Holocaust. Yanek was unfortionally, taken by the Nazi’s to a concentration camp for six years. Between 10 concentration camps Yanek finally got freed from the camps and the American soldiers reached him and gave him food, water, clothing and shelter. Yanek then, found a family to stay with and lived on with his life. In the book the author uses conflict to develop the theme sometimes you have to conform to survive by the quote “To suffer quietly hurt only you. Suffer loudly, violently, angrily- to fight back- was to bring hurt and pain and death to others” (112). This quote proves how the author uses conflict to develop the theme

In real life, most conflicts will not have an obvious solution. The more complex the situation is, the stronger effect it will have in the society, such as the shooting of michael brown.

Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain” is about a man who is a book critic. He recalls his lost a memory of childhood after being shot in the head during a bank robbery. In the beginning of the story, Anders’ personality is revealed as cynical, narcissistic, and pompous. As the story reaches its end, Anders reveals another side of his personality that has been hidden from the beginning of the story. Anders is presented as an unsympathetic character, but the author uses different points of view in the story that makes the audience sympathetic towards him in the end. The author uses different third person perspective, symbolism, and setting to contribute to the theme of the story that a human’s personality changes by time, and environment or experience.

Conflict is not something that can be avoided, especially in fiction. In fact, conflict is the main purpose of how a story came to be – without conflict, there will be no story. As quoted from Peder Hill (n.d.), “Its the primary ingredient that weaves together all the other elements of a novel”. However, conflict can arise in a story in various forms and they alter the course of the story. For instance, a conflict of decision. What decision is made by the characters moves the story. This is called external conflict, which Rector (2002) defines as “a struggle between a character and an outside force”. On the other hand, conflict within a character may also arise, which is called internal conflict. Internal conflict means “a struggle that

Bullet in the Brain is a short story about a sarcastic book critic, who allows his criticism to extend to his everyday life and soon learns why that is not a good idea.

There are different types of conflict, the conflict such as Man .vs. Nature, Man.vs. Man, and Person .vs. Self these types of conflicts show the struggle people have to go succeed a goal, dream or just to survive. In the poem “Ode to a Mouse” by Robert Burns and the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, both authors use the literary element, Conflict to show the struggles of the characters.

Imagine death. What happens in your final moments? Are you going to think about your loved ones or just simply reminisce on one of the happiest moments of your existence? What would be your very final thought to think? The short story, “Bullet in the Brain”, is a very intriguing, well-articulated fictional writing piece that captures what happens in the split second of death through the main character Anders. Written by Tobias Wolff, the story follows a man who finds the cliché in anything and his final thoughts of his life as a bullet is moving through his brain. Saying I enjoyed this story would be the understatement of the century. The short story is purely brilliant and one of the most thought-provoking stories I have read in a while.

All stories have at least one of three different kinds of conflict, man versus man, man versus nature, and man versus himself. Some stories, like Richard Connell's “"The Most Dangerous Game"”, use all three conflicts uniquely and clearly. When each conflict is put to a test of strength in the story, man vs man is the strongest. The weakest is man vs himself. And the final conflict is man vs nature. The three conflicts are used evenly so they end up being as significant as each other.

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict with peaceful meanings.” - Ronald Reagen. This is a quote that stands very true for Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Nothing But the Truth, by AVI. In these books, characters have to overcome their own conflicts in their own ways, and whether or not it makes them change for the better. In Fever 1793, Matilda Cook has to overcome and face death head-on, Mrs. Narwin has to deal with a student who ruins her career, and Philip Malloy, from Nothing But the Truth, has to learn to face his problems, Through all that has happened through these two books, Mrs.Narwin from Nothing But the Truth changed, Philip Malloy, also from Nothing But the Truth, does not change, and Matilda Cook, from Fever 1793, changes for the better.

Conflict, in general, is a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one. When conflict is studied in literature, the subject is broken down into a few major types, or classes of conflicts. This includes person versus person, person versus nature, person versus society, person versus self, as well as some others. Out of the Dust, a historical fiction novel by Karen Hesse, contains many types of conflicts, with person versus nature being prominent, as the book is based upon the Dust Bowl. However, there are multiple instances in the novel where a person is having a conflict against him/herself, and those conflicts impact their decisions, actions, as well as their relationships.

A man faced with his fatality will quiver and beg for mercy. Anders, from “Bullet in the Brain”, is unique in that he faces death with laughter and sarcasm. The short story by Tobias Wolff portrays a man named Anders being shot during a bank robbery after ignoring the threats of the robbers (In Text Cite). Through descriptions of the protagonist and his speech with other characters, Anders shows signs of schizophrenia.

In the story “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff, Anders is introduced as a bit condescending in his response to the woman in front of him as the teller leaves her station. He take this small comment and escalates it out of proportion by going on about “…if they are not chopping off the wrong leg, or bombing your ancestral village, they’re closing their positions.” (p. 73 line 15-16) and “Heaven will take note.” (p.73 line 19). His response to this phrase, or use of words leads to the belief that language is very important to him, given that he is a book critic, this would make a great deal of sense. This attitude carries on into the robbery when the man says “dead meat” and “capiche.” Anders is so passionate about language that he does not seem to take ongoing the robbery seriously. Through his reaction to some of the words used by the gunman Anders can be pictured as being fearless. All this leads to Anders being singled out of the group and eventually his death. But what is really going on in his head?

Conflict is opposing actions, ideas, and decisions that hold a plot together. Clugston (2014) states “Conflict is the struggle that shapes the plot in a story” (4.1 Plot, para. 4). Conflicts are also encountered in most of the literature we read for pleasure. It can create personal connections and instill deeper meanings to our experiences as we read, especially if we can relate what is read to our personal life.

In chapter eleven looking out, looking in by Ronald B Adler, Adler informs us readers about the nature of conflict. Conflict is an expressed struggle between at least two independent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources and interference from the other party in achieving their goals. Conflicts only exist when both parties are aware of a disagreement. All conflicts look as if one party’s gain would be another’s loss, and conflict wouldn’t occur until the participants act in such a way that prevent one another from reaching their goals. Conflict naturally occurs in every relationship of any depth, regardless of how close, and how understanding the opposite party is of a situation, conflict will always be a factor. Conflict

Conflict means a struggle or problem between two opposing groups or individuals. There are two types of conflict: internal and external conflict. An internal conflict is a struggle that is internalized and deals with choices, consequences, or emotions. An internal conflict is a man vs. self struggle. An external conflict is a struggle between the protagonist and another character against nature or some outside force. External conflicts are either man verses man, man verses nature, or man verses society. Various examples of internal and external conflicts can be shown in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” and O.Henry’s, “The Gift of the Magi.”