Bullet in the Brain

Question 1

In the article, “Bullet in the Brain,” Anders’ personality traits are projected throughout the story making him the main character in the development of the tale. He is an egocentric character depicting a high level of interest in his desires. This is demonstrated by the way Anders exchanges words with an unnamed woman on a queue at the bank, and one of the tellers closes the window. Anders has a careless attitude and is pessimistic. The former leads to his shooting at the bank. The rebellious traits Anders has toward the bank robbers is correlated with his careless outlook. One of the robbers orders him to look at the ceiling, but he begins criticizing the images on the ceiling before laughing hysterically (202). The robber becomes irritated at this behavior and cautions him to remain silent. However, due to his careless attitude, he laughs again at the robber’s verbal clichés. This prompts the robber to shoot him on the head (203).Anders is also shown as a sarcastic character. In the narration, Anders is seen criticizing everything on his sigh. He begins criticizing the bank cashier and even criticizes the robbery that later occurs in the bank. Anders treats the robbery scene as a play by telling the woman next to him that the robbery is an excellent script. He reacted to circumstances surrounding him in a sarcastic manner such that whatever he meant was not clear.

Question 2

After the bank robber shoots him, the story shifts to a flashback. The author presents several memories that Anders could not remember. In the past, Anders loves poems that he frequently memorizes; he has a daughter who enjoyed playing with toys. The past shows that he was a family man, and it projects his first lover as well as his wife. Anders is therefore presented as a family who enjoyed his wife and daughter in a manner that he never thought of being lonely in life. Being a family man, Anders was a happy family man who was passionate toward his family members. However, the author illustrates one memory that Anders recalls: neighborhood baseball games that he used to play where the love of language is evident when one of the baseball player, Coyle, brings a cousin who mispronounces a common phase. This captivates Anders and depicts his love for language (204). Anders’ past presents him as a passionate character, lover of poetry, and a man with profound respect toward other people.

Question 3

The story provides a commentary on violence in modern America. The robbery at the bank is a reflection of the increased cases reported in America. The author symbolizes the robbery to violence in modern American history. The act of robbing the bank is an indication of the prevailing incidences of violence that are witnessed. This is illustrated by the incident at the bank (203). Most cases of violence in modern America occurs majorly due to carelessness in enforcing security among public institutions. The tale depicts negligence at the bank as a fundamental cause of violence in the bank. The same way, violence in modern America occurs as a result of laxity on the side of the government in restoring a peaceful coexistence in the nation

 

 

Work Cited

Wolff, Tobias. Bullet in the Brain. Blackstone Audio, Incorporated, 2013.

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