Introduction
In his short story “Killings,” André Dubus describes a story that touches on important themes and hooks the reader through its problems. This story is written in the author’s classic style, filled with anguish and the protagonist’s attempts to survive a tragic event. The main character, Matt Fowler, lost his son, Frank. He is murdered by Richard Strote, who has not been punished and continues to live life to the fullest. The story’s first half describes the family’s life after the funeral of their youngest son. In the second half, Matt Fowler is overcome by an unbearable desire to kill the perpetrator of his beloved son’s death. The author uses many literary elements to convey the emotions and feelings of the father accurately. These techniques reveal creative thought and point out the connection between things that, at first glance, have nothing in common. Literary techniques such as personification and epithets can be identified in this story.
Personification Used in the Story
It is necessary to read the story carefully to determine what certain literary devices mean. A personification is a figurative expression or word that ascribes to inanimate objects the properties of animate objects (Deyin). An epithet is a word that defines an object or action and emphasizes its peculiarity (Torhovets and Andronova). The first highlighted personification is “an apple orchard with symmetrically planted trees going up the hill” (Dubus 197). This sentence is spoken by the author at the beginning of the story, during the funeral. This literary element is used to describe the landscape surrounding the character. Through this description, the author helps the reader get into the atmosphere where the protagonist is most accurately situated. The second striking use of this literary device is “the Strout and Sons trucks driving around town, and the signs on the building sites that now cut wounds in Matt Fowler’s life” (Dubus 217). This phrase is heard on behalf of the author at the end of the story, in the part where the description of the murderer of the protagonist’s son is given. The author uses this personification to convey Matt Fowler’s pain from injustice. His son’s killer is on the loose, and his family’s business is thriving. He and his brothers are alive and well, and their father is happy. The loss of his sons does not torment him; their family knows no grief. Richard Strout lives a full life; he has a girlfriend and friends. Even though he took the life of the protagonist’s son, the murderer feels no guilt: he escaped punishment and thinks of no remorse.
Epithets Used in the Story
In the story, André Dubus used many epithets that complement each other and maximize the meaning the author wanted to convey. The first epithet the reader may notice is “his brown hair began to thin in the front, where it used to be cut” (Dubus, 197). This sentence is spoken on behalf of the author at the beginning of the story. This epithet describes the appearance of Matt’s eldest son, which is important in conveying the full picture of the story. The next epithet, equally important, is “she let him approach: a tall, muscular, but slender tanned boy” (Dubus 218). This passage is heard at the end of the story when the events before the boy’s death are described. This use of literary means describes the appearance of the murdered Frank. He was a model son, a good student, and had a pleasant appearance. The author tries to convey that Frank did not deserve to be killed.
Conclusion
Thus, the literary elements used in the story are important. They accurately convey all the experiences of the characters. Since the story’s theme is an attempt to relive a tragic event, one cannot do without literary devices. Epithets and personifications, especially, help the reader to be transported into the story’s atmosphere. They add to the theme of the story and convey the meaning that the author put into it. Without an understanding of these literary devices, it is impossible to understand the main idea of a particular work.
Works Cited
Deyin, L. O. N. G. “Meaning construction of personification in discourse based on Conceptual Integration Theory.” Studies in Literature and Language 17.1 (2018): 21-28. Web.
Dubus, Andre. “Killings.” The Sewanee Review 87.2 (1979): 197-218.
Torhovets, Y., and M. Andronova. “Peculiarities of epithets functioning in the short stories by HP Lovecraft.” Studia Philologica 1 (2019): 46-50. Web.