Killings (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Andre Dubus
- First Published: 1980
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The 1970's
- Setting: A small town in Massachusetts
- Principal Characters: Matt Fowler, Ruth, Frank, Richard Strout, Mary Ann Strout, Willis Trottier
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Parents and children, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Fathers, Adultery, Death or dying, Revenge, Ethics, Bereavement or grief, Massachusetts, 19’s
- Locales: Massachusetts
The Story
In August, Matt and Ruth Fowler buried their twenty-one-year-old son, Frank, who had been murdered. The next month, Matt tells his friend Willis how distressed he is that his wife, Ruth, keeps running into Richard, the man who killed their son and is out on bail until the trial. Willis, who owns a restaurant, says that Richard has come there with a date and tends bar in a nearby town. Matt admits that he has started carrying a gun, hoping that Richard will do something that gives him an excuse to shoot him. Ruth knows about the gun and does not believe that he keeps...
[The entire page is 1395 words long]
