Bullet In The Brain Analysis
"Bullet in the Brain": Revealing the Real Anders
A short narrative “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff tells about Anders, a book critic, who gets killed by an armed bank robber while being stuck in an endless line. The storyline would seem very simple and uncomplicated to me if it ended here. However, as the bullet smashes through the Anders’ brain, the author brings flashbacks highlighting Anders’ last feelings, “It is worth noting what Anders did not remember, given what he did remember” (Wolff 544). Yet, Anders does not recall any of the most significant events that I would have taken for granted he would. Why does he only remember a small event at a baseball field and his decision not to critique one of the player’s grammar? This …show more content…
At the beginning Anders goes through the narrative’s action without disclosing us a lot of details about him. The narrative’s mocking tone shows us a critic who critiques every single thing he reads, “Anders - a book critic known for the weary, elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed” (Wolff 542). In my first opinion, Anders is seen as a self-important and unfriendly individual. From the first view, I would not care much about Anders as a person because of his overall disapproving and judgmental character, and his aggressive response to the lady in front of him, “Tragic, really. If they’re chopping of the wrong leg, or bombing your ancestral village, they’re closing their positions” (Wolff 542). He likes better to attack with active hostility than the respectful response to her opinion. In addition, Anders continues to make fun of the bank robber as he would review one of the works he reads, “Justice is done” (Wolff 542). I got curious if Anders realizes the severity of the circumstances, if he is even concerned about his own being. Even with a pistol under his chin, he remains uncooperative, “Capiche – oh, God, capiche” (Wolff 543-544) up until the man with the pistol raises the pistol and shoots Anders right in the head. At this moment, I could not understand Anders as a character at
A short narrative “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff tells about Anders, a book critic, who gets killed by an armed bank robber while being stuck in an endless line. The storyline would seem very simple and uncomplicated to me if it ended here. However, as the bullet smashes through the Anders’ brain, the author brings flashbacks highlighting Anders’ last feelings, “It is worth noting what Anders did not remember, given what he did remember” (Wolff 544). Yet, Anders does not recall any of the most significant events that I would have taken for granted he would. Why does he only remember a small event at a baseball field and his decision not to critique one of the player’s grammar? This …show more content…
At the beginning Anders goes through the narrative’s action without disclosing us a lot of details about him. The narrative’s mocking tone shows us a critic who critiques every single thing he reads, “Anders - a book critic known for the weary, elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed” (Wolff 542). In my first opinion, Anders is seen as a self-important and unfriendly individual. From the first view, I would not care much about Anders as a person because of his overall disapproving and judgmental character, and his aggressive response to the lady in front of him, “Tragic, really. If they’re chopping of the wrong leg, or bombing your ancestral village, they’re closing their positions” (Wolff 542). He likes better to attack with active hostility than the respectful response to her opinion. In addition, Anders continues to make fun of the bank robber as he would review one of the works he reads, “Justice is done” (Wolff 542). I got curious if Anders realizes the severity of the circumstances, if he is even concerned about his own being. Even with a pistol under his chin, he remains uncooperative, “Capiche – oh, God, capiche” (Wolff 543-544) up until the man with the pistol raises the pistol and shoots Anders right in the head. At this moment, I could not understand Anders as a character at