Preview

Character Analysis Of Bullet In The Brain By Tobias Wolff

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
552 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Character Analysis Of Bullet In The Brain By Tobias Wolff
For my third major writing assignment, I focused on the short story “Bullet in The Brain” by Tobias Wolff. In this assignment, I analyzed the story and was able to understand what theme Wolff created and why he portrayed Anders, the main character, a certain way. Anders was first introduced as an unsympathetic character; however, towards the end of the story, the reasons for his behavior become understood. Wolff describes the tragic events that Anders has gone through in order to explain why he acts so cruel. In the beginning, readers have a hard time caring for Anders’ character, but as we soon learn what he has been through, we cannot help but feel sorry for him. Throughout the story, Wolff is able to use many elements that justify Ander’s behavior and create the theme of appreciating life. I chose this …show more content…
I thought that it was interesting that the main character was described as an antagonist. I also thought the plot of the bank robbery was interesting because it gives a dramatic tone and keeps readers intrigued. My analysis on this story will allow other readers to understand why Anders was portrayed in this specific way. It will also allow them to relate to his character, if they have suffered from personality changes due to tragic events.
When writing my MWA, I focused on Writing as a Process (SLO C) and Research (SLO H) to help me with my paper. I chose these SLO’s over others because it allowed me to gain the best evidence for my analysis. SLO C allowed me to use multiple approaches for planning and researching in order to make my composition stronger in various mediums and using multiple technologies. After choosing a short story to focus on, I had to determine why the author wrote the way he did. I listed what topics I would construct major paragraphs on such as the themes Wolff created and
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Tobias Wolff's Bullet In The Brain
    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tobias Wolff's Bullet In The Brain

    Your first sight of this is on p. 1“Anders couldn’t get to the bank until just before it closed, so of course the line was endless…” (p.1 l.1). In stead of being glad that he made it to the bank before it closed he focus on the line. This first impression of Anders is confirmed already on l. 3 where is says that Anders never was in a good temper, and known for his way of dispatch almost every book he reviewed as a book critic. What separates Anders from many other pessimists is that he seems not to care about anything. When the bank gets robbed Anders doesn’t get frightened like the rest of the costumers. It seems completely idiotic that he answers the robber back though he holds a gun to his head. Anders is dominant of the situation and he actually makes the robber insecure. “Hey! Bright boy! Did I tell you to talk?” “No Anders said” “Then shut your trap.” “Did you hear that?” Anders said. “Bright boy. Right out of the killers” (p. 2 l. 9) Anders continues to provoke the robber which is what leads him to his death. Whether he has realized this or not is hard to tell from the…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bullet in the Brain Reading Respone
    • 257 Words
    • 1 Page

    Bullet in the Brain Reading Respone

    Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain” can be divided into two parts. The first one is until the moment when Anders gets shot. Up to his death, the character is not developed and somehow flat. There is an awkward feeling, because the hassle with the bank robber and the shot afterwards sound like the climax of the story, but this is not satisfying end since there is no clue what will follow. What I really liked about the character building is that we understand many of Andres’ traits only from three of his actions. The way he act in the bank, builds him an image of sarcastic, impudent, self-determined, criticizing, even illogical person in a way.…

    • 257 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

    Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood details the sudden, brutal murder of a family in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. In this excerpt, Capote chronicles the morning after the crime. Through the use of narrative and juxtaposition, Capote describes the unforeseen tragic murder of the Clutter family. These techniques, along with the use of connotation and diction, emphasize the shock of the murders while providing a pathos appeal.…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bullet In The Brain Tobias Wolff
    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page

    Bullet In The Brain Tobias Wolff

    In his short story “Bullet In the Brain,” Tobias Wolff characterizes Anders as a pessimistic round character with no sense of self preservation. Anders is very complex individual. He enjoys criticizing people, even if he agrees with them, and believes that nothing goes his way. Anders is also very sarcastic and brave enough to mock the robbers even if it causes his demise. While most of the other characters are panicking and following the gun holders every word, Anders stands up to them, showing his lack of self preservation and/or his inability to not criticize others. Anders even goes so far as to find fault in the technique of the artist that painted the ceiling, all while he is held at gunpoint. All of Anders’ actions explain why he was…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essay Prompt on Hughes
    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay Prompt on Hughes

    In “Bullet in the Brain,” Tobias Wolff uses symbolism in the flashback to a childhood baseball game and characterization of Anders as a cynical critic of life to reveal that it is only in our appreciation for the unexpected that life has meaning, a lesson Anders learns at the moment he is shot in the head.…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ishmael Beah Imagery
    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ishmael Beah Imagery

    Beahs experiences things no child should ever have to experience: “My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed… My childhood had gone by without my knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen”(126). With losing his own family, Beahs tries adjusting to his new soldier friends and bonds with them. Also, his weapons can mean life or death. However, his rough childhood made Beah grow into a person who can accept change. In addition, Beah changes physically and emotionally, he is now a killer and cannot control his state of mind: “The corporal gave the signal with a pistol shot and I grabbed the man’s head and slit his throat in one fluid motion. His Adam’s apple made way for the sharp knife, and I turned the bayonet on its zigzag edge as I brought it out”(125). Here, the author illustrates that a person can change within a matter of time. This part of the memoir can have a huge impact on students because of how gruesome one human can be.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mike Bunn How To Read Like A Writer
    • 109 Words
    • 1 Page

    Mike Bunn How To Read Like A Writer

    In this essay “How to Read Like a Writer” Mike Bunn, claims that college students should distinguish choices the writer made and decide whether they want to implement them in their writing; enhancing their level of writing. Bunn explains that reading like a writer is a strategy that questions, analyses and criticizes a text to make readers look at the structure, the style, the word choice in regards to several factors like: the purpose, the audience, and the genre. The author concludes that this strategy will also signal the writer’s argument. The essay ends by providing a step-by-step example to obtain structural analysis and familiarize students with this strategy.…

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    David Kirby's Essay 'Inked Well'
    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page

    David Kirby's Essay 'Inked Well'

    In David Kirby's essay, "Inked well" he uses several modes of writing to make his story relatable to. The first paragraph of his essay initially starts out using with the use of a narrative mode of writing as he describes what is happening and when it occurs. Kirby uses the narrative mode of writing through a great deal, if not the majority of his essay.…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tobias Wolff's Bullet In The Brain
    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tobias Wolff's Bullet In The Brain

    When reading Bullet in the Brain, I found myself very intrigued and asking myself many questions as the story progressed up until the very end. The way Tobias Wolff wrote the story, he did not give much background on the main character, Anders, which kept you guessing on why Anders was so negative and responded to the situation he was in the way that he did. By doing this, it made it hard as a reader to make a clear decision of how to feel about what happened to Anders at the end. Leaving it up to the imagination of the readers to write in the details of Anders’ life, potentially leaves him to be set up to be perceived as something he is not.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Violence In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood
    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Violence In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

    Violence is never a single victim crime. Violence can have long lasting effects across more people than intended, and have effects more everlasting than can be believed by the person committing the violence. Truman Capote in his book “In Cold Blood” manages to convey the darker meaning of the actions of the characters in this novel. Capote manages to show the everlasting effects and what has been lost from the violence committed. Through his use of figurative language Capote depicted the harsh realism and the true effects of the violence.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    South L. A School Ethos
    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages

    South L. A School Ethos

    Beatty began teaching at the school as a person unaware of the frequency or dullness of the news of shootings. She highlights this in her article by drawing the readers’ attention to how routinely the students processed the news. There was no emotion for the students because it was a reality of life, however, for the author and the majority of the reading audience it is not a common occurrence. Beatty uses the mundane reaction of the students to strengthen her pathos by highlighting how desensitized the students are to violence. This point is further proven by the author’s shock to how unemotional Angelica is that her brother had been shot. In doing this she utilizes pathos by introducing readers to the horrible idea of the emotion of a loved one being shot being negligible. In addition to this, Beatty calls to the attention of the readers the lives of slain students. She shows readers how innocent they were and after citing their innocence the author bluntly relays the cause of their horrific death. This writing by the author introduces a character only to rip the image of innocence out of the readers head and replace it with the horrifying reality of murder and death. This use of imagery effectively triggers emotion in readers and is a use of pathos by the author. However, perhaps the most effective use of pathos by Beatty was bringing to the attention of readers that the lives of these kids are not only afflicted by violence, but are hopeless. Beatty features this sentiment saying: “They know how the world sees them, these teenagers with no cars, and no prospects for college.” By bringing the hopelessness of the kids to the attention of the reader Beatty is able to make readers think about their own lives and goals and understand that if they swapped lives with…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tobias Wolff Essay
    • 1250 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tobias Wolff Essay

    Like being written for a movie, Tobias Wolff’s life was written for the big screen. Having grown up with so many triumphs, we see a man that went from an unstable environment to a totally different world many years later in California. Wolff has had a past painted with ups and downs. As many of us have read his works we can see how self-determination and the will to overcome can lead to a successful pursuit of one’s dreams. Wolff’s upbringing was mediocre at best, instability plagued him. However, he continued to dream. In pursuit of a goal, Wolff would fight for those dreams head on. In This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army, Wolff directly associates the memoirs with his life to create a sense of being, taking characters from the hopes…

    • 1250 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Bullet in the Brain
    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Bullet in the Brain

    Anders is known for "the weary elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed." He is portrayed as especially unsympathetic. He is standing in line at a bank and gets stuck behind two women whose loud stupid conversations put him in an angry mood. He engages in sarcastic, belittling repartee with the women when a robbery occurs. Two men wearing black ski masks are standing on the side of the door. He can not resist making an acid comment about the language of the robber when one of the robbers threatens the teller that she'll be dead meat if she turns on the alarm. The woman tells him to be quiet, but he does not seem to recognise the reality of the dangerous situation. When one of the robbers says "Then Shut your Trap, "Anders recognises the clichés found in Hemmingway's crime fiction, the Killers. He attracts the attention of the robber, who pokes the weapon into his guts. He stares at the ceiling and finds the painting ugly and amusing. The robber thinks that Anders is making fun of him and says, "Fuck with me again, you're history. Capriche?" He laughs at the inauthentic language and says, "Capiche- oh, God, capiche". He seems to view the event as an uninvolved critic and can not stop reviewing - even when his life depends on it.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Bullet in the Brain
    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Bullet in the Brain

    The short story “Bullet in the Brain” is a story about a character with a very distinct persona. The main character, Anders, is one who is established as being an odd character from the very beginning. The setting takes place in a bank that is soon to be bombarded by robbers wearing ski masks. Being a book critic, Anders lets his profession override his critical thinking skills during the robbery. This puts the bank robber’s patience to test, ultimately leading to Anders’ death at the end of the story. In the opening paragraph of the story, the author begins by explaining Anders’ character as “a book critic known for the weary, elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed” (542). The author begins by telling us this so we can get a grasp on what kind of personality traits the character has. This is a guarantee that everything coming out of Anders’ mouth will be something critical, which helps put us in the mindset for what is to come. Examining Anders’ critical personality traits, the way he interacts with others, and even his dying thoughts, we can begin to understand why his profession of being a book critic has put such a burden upon his life, ultimately placing him on the receiving end of a bullet in the brain.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examining Yourself as a Writer
    • 910 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examining Yourself as a Writer

    The art of writing is a unique skill that requires the writer to have great flexibility and be open to improvement. Some may consider themselves a “perfect writer”, when in reality, no one is, and will ever be. Writing is a process that requires one to continuously build on skills learned in previous situations, applying new techniques and strategies to future writing projects. Different settings require different writing styles, and with that being said, one must be willing to change their writing skills to suit the requirements of their current setting. In the following essay I will reflect on past writing assignments, identifying my best and worst writing courses, strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and my opinion on why writing may or may not be beneficial to me throughout my career.…

    • 910 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More