An eye for an eye may seem like a good idea, but the opposite is true. Revenge seemed like a good idea to Matt, but it made him feel empty and still devastated over the murder of his son. The story, “Killings”, by Andre Dubus made me rethink my opinion on parent-child relationships and revenge. The story reinforced my idea that revenge never makes people feel better, but I can still understand Matt’s internal struggle following his son’s murder.
The first thought I had while reading “Killings” was that I cannot relate to feeling such intense grief like Matt does. The story details Matt’s feelings; for example, “How often do you think about it?” Willis said. “Every day since he got out. I don’t think about bail. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about him for years” (61) The interaction between Willis and Matt shows how devastated Matt was over his son’s murder. I can imagine that any parent would feel like this. At this point, Matt’s personality has already shifted; he is desperate to feel how he did before his son’s murder. I have seen how grief can change people; they isolate themselves and change their personality, just like Matt. At this point, the reader can see that Matt is desperate for a solution to his problem and a way to overcome his grief. I do not understand Matt’s grief for several reasons. First of all, a
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Another part is that he wrestles with the decision of whether to kill Strout. Matt wastes time by driving to Strout’s house to get a suitcase and pretends that he is going to let Strout go. I think Matt did these things, because he needed more time to convince himself that this is a good idea. I see myself doing this sometimes. In my case, I am debating whether to stay up late watching Netflix or to go to bed. While our problems are on difference scales, we are both debating between our choices, weighing alternatives, and convincing ourselves to do the wrong