Character Analysis Of Amir In Andre Dubus 'The Killings'

Another factor that makes the reader sympathize with Matt is how his wife, Ruth, is in shambles even months after Frank is murdered. “[Ruth] sees him all the time. It makes her cry. (pg. 94, Dubus). Killing Richard is the act of a protective husband and father and Matt does it because he thinks it’s the best solution for his family. Matt acts in the interest of his family, even though he feels guilt for everything that takes place.

The way the plot of Killings by Andre Dubus is arranged changes how the reader sees the characters in the story. This plot starts out in the present, then goes into the past, then back to the present. There are two main characters, and three secondary characters in this story. The way the reader views all of these characters is affected by the plot arrangement. The two primary characters who are most important to the plot, and also most affected by the plot arrangement, are Matt Fowler and Richard Strout. Because the first thing the reader reads in the exposition of the story is “On the August morning when Matt Fowler buried his youngest son, Frank, who had lived for twenty-one years, eight months, and four days…” pg 93, and not Richard Strout’s backstory and reasoning for his actions, they are immediately persuaded by the author to feel sympathy towards Matt. The author needs the reader to feel this sympathy so that when Matt kills Strout at the climax of the plot, Matt is not viewed as the antagonist of the story, but rather as the protagonist. The author needs the reader to view Strout as the antagonist so that the reader does not dislike Matt, and so that the story is one of justified revenge and not just another murder. If the reader had been presented with the plot in chronological order, with Strout’s backstory and reasoning for killing Frank first, then the reader might almost feel bad for Strout. If seen like this, one might conclude that, while he did not take

Strout may have been a killer, but he was still a human being, knowledge that Matt forced himself to forget. Matt begins to identify with the forces that took his son’s life – murder. He and Trottier planned and executed the murder of Strout not only to avenge Frank’s death, but also to protect his family. Dubus tells the readers how Ruth suffered every time she went into town and would see Strout on the streets or in a store. He wrote, “Ruth sees him… She can’t even go out for cigarettes and aspirin. It’s killing her.” (108) and “It’s the trial. We can’t go through that, my wife and me…” (116). Ruth’s suffering was Matt’s motivation to protect his family. Matt could no longer handle seeing Ruth’s life become shattered by Frank’s murder and her inability to deal with the loss. This was Matt’s final deciding factor to bring forth an end to their suffering by killing Strout.

In Killings, Andre Dubus writes about the events just leading up to Richard Strout's disappearance. Matt Fowler was happily married and had three children. One of his sons, Frank Fowler, entered into a relationship with a woman named Mary Ann Strout, who was in the process of getting a divorced with Richard Strout. Once Richard found out about his wife and Frank, he killed Frank out of anger. He was then arrested and then got on bail. Matt Fowler and the rest of his family were not too pleased to see their loved one's murderer was walking free. Matt was getting drinks at his friends, Willis, restaurant one night and found out where Strout works. So they sat outside his work and waited for him to come

Forgiveness is a necessary part of human existence, although it is rarely easy to give, and sometimes hardest to give to ourselves. The Kite Runner illustrates humanity's tendency, and even willingness, to dwell on past mistakes. The opening sentence sets this theme with "I became what I am today at the age of twelve," as Amir unapologetically relates how he believes one action at that young age defined his entire life. However, as the novel progresses, the reader comes to the conclusion that it was not one action, but a series of choices and events that created Amir's persona as an adult. By holding onto his guilt and fear of discovery, Amir could only bury his past for short periods of time before his own conscience uncovered it and the

Guilt has the incredible power to change an individual’s perspective and affect them for the rest of their life. The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a world-renowned novel published in 2003 that tells the story of a young boy named Amir who grows up with the guilt of having failed to fight the group of boys who raped his closest friend. One of the main themes Hosseini emphasizes in the novel, is the powerful affect of guilt on one’s self. Different characters such as Amir, Sanubar and Baba use the guilt that exists in every one of them as a motive to their actions to further develop the plot. Amir, the narrator of the novel, witnesses his closest friend, Hassan, get bullied by an older boy named Aseef and decides not to

Both men tend to work late nights; Trottier was a bartender, so Fowler meeting with him after hours was an easy alibi. The hardest part was getting Strout to a secluded place, which they were able to do by conning him at first, saying they had bought him a plane ticket and wanted him out of their lives so that everyone could move on. After leaving Strout's car at an apartment building in Boston, they lead Strout to a pre-dug hole in a wooded area where Fowler kills him. “The gun kicked in Matt’s hand, and the explosion of the shot surrounded him…Richard Strout, squirming on his belly pushed himself towards the woods. Then Matt went to him and shot him once in the back of the head (106).”

The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini is a novel with multitudes of themes but the theme most integral to the story concerns friendship, guilt, and redemption. This theme was most important to the novel because the conflict in the book is intertwined with this theme, following the life of a man haunted by regrets. The book is told from the perspective of Amir and this is something he deals with for the entirety of the book after the incident with Hassan. Amir, even as a middle-aged man, is still haunted by what he hadn’t done for Hassan all those years ago. Amir’s entire life takes a certain path because of what he did or didn’t do during and after Hassan’s assault. Amir’s decision affected not only himself, but also Hassan. Their lives forever changed. Amir and Hassan were each other’s best friends and they grew together like brothers, though they didn’t know at the time. Amir feels as though he broke the sacred bond they had and he decided to make it right by finding Sohrab. This is the last thing he can do for Hassan. He cannot tell him he is sorry anymore. He doesn’t have any other paths of redemption.

Throughout the story The Kite Runner an important central theme displayed by the other is the idea that it is important to be able to confront your past mistakes or else those mistakes will torture you for the rest of your life. Many of the main characters came face to face with this idea and each of them dealt with their mistakes in different ways. Despite this, it was made clear that the characters that were able to deal with their problems ended up much better off mentally than those of them that were unable to. Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, teachers the reader that confronting past mistakes is better than running from them through Amir’s feelings following his betrayal of Hassan, how Soraya felt after telling Amir about her past, and Amir’s reaction to finding out Baba was Hassan’s father.

At the beginning of the story Matt reveals his anger to his friend and the reader can see him struggle to cope with the death of his son. The manner in which he killed Richard Strout showed the anger and hatred he had against him. He was desperate to find justice for the crime committed against his family. He wanted to make Strout feel all of the pain, the sorrow, and the hurt that he had put them through. The night of Strout’s murder, Matt does not look him in the eyes and makes Strout distance himself from Matt. He wanted to kill a faceless person and

“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do,” Voltaire once said. Every choice in life comes with a consequence that follows. A common consequence is guilt, a bad feeling caused by knowing or thinking that you have done something wrong. Amir, the main character in The Kite Runner, discovers the consequence of guilt after making decisions throughout his childhood that were destructive. Khaled Hosseini describes the destructive ability of guilt to consume one’s life through the the relationships of Amir and Hassan, Baba and Ali, and Amir and Sohrab.

In “Killings,” Matt thinks about Mary Ann’s “...long brown legs he loved to look at; her face was pretty…” (Dubus 1128). Matt found Mary Ann very attractive, in an inappropriate way for a father to act towards his son’s girlfriend. In the film, an eyeline match shot shows Mary Ann then reveals Matt admiring her. This shot showcases his attraction to her, realving her importance to Matt. Ruth quickly observes these desires Matt has towards Mary Ann. Shortly after the death of Frank, there is a a shot reverse shot scene between Ruth and Matt revealing conflict. In this argument, she demands he his at faults for Frank’s death due to him wanting to live his youth again through their son (In the Bedroom). She explains the only reason Matt is willingly allowing Frank to continue to date Mary Ann is because he wishes it was himself dating her. After her fight with Matt, she sees he is not interested Mary Ann, but a relationship with his son. She is envious Matt is closer with Frank and ultimately is what causes her to feel responsible. Ruth soon realizes it was not Matt who killed Frank, but her overbearing

The Kite Runner is a powerful book contrasting selfishness and selflessness. The book follows the life of Amir, a character who experiences guilt and tragedy throughout his life. While growing up in Kabul, Amir witnesses the imperfect and prejudice society in his country. Within an imperfect society, there are many who are self-invested, and among those, there are those who are selfless. Characters Amir and Hassan possess selfish and selfless traits. The traits that these characters possess are influenced by fear, victimization, and loyalty, ultimately leading them to inaction and action.

The consequences of the past are inescapable and the choices a person makes can influence the rest of his life. There is no way to change the past, so once important choices are made it is impossible to reverse time and change those decisions. Khaled Hosseini explores this idea of having to live with past decisions in his compelling novel The Kite Runner. To enforce the message of how inescapable the past truly is, the main character of Hosseini’s book, Amir, betrays his closest friend and struggles to cope with the haunting consequences of this betrayal. Through Amir’s complex character development and The Kite Runner’s distinctive plot structure, those who read the novel gain a deeper understanding of Amir’s decisions as a result of his past mistakes via Hosseini’s use of foreshadowing and flashbacks. By creating a unique relationship between the past and present in the novel, Hosseini urges readers to ponder the consequences of mistakes and reflect on their own past.

Amir and Baba are moving to Pakistan, with a bunch of others, in an attempt to escape the Soviets. On the way to their destination they arrive at a checkpoint where a Soviet guard says they can only pass if he can have 30 minutes with a women. But Baba, speaking through an interpreter, says that they had already given what they needed to pass. When the officer raises his gun to shoot Baba another officer walks into the scene and abruptly stops him. In the next chapter Amir is now 18 and Amir and Baba have moved to the United States, where they have been living for the past 2 years. Amir soon graduates high school and tells Baba how he aspires to be a writer, to which Baba disapproves of this saying it would be hard to get noticed. Later in