Horror and the Human Response in the Work of Dubus PDF

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A response paper to Andre Dubus' readings, "Killings" and "The Curse." It discusses the lessons they teach and underlying meanings. ...

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Vincent Orlando Professor Kiehne 5/3/15 Final English Paper

Horror and the Human Response in the Work of Dubus I. “Killings” and “The Curse” are both short stories written by Andre Dubus. They both tell the stories of men who are forced to react in the face of evil. While a case can be made that these stories are very different from one another, it is not hard to tell that Dubus is reaching towards one over-arching theme. From reading these stories it almost seems as if Dubus has thought of the most horrible scenarios in the realm of reality and wrote about them. In “Killings,” a man is murdered and his loving parents are left in a world of despair. In “The Curse,” a man regrets not doing enough to prevent the rape of young woman. From these very brief synopses it is hard to get the sense that these stories are related to one another. However, in both stories all of the main characters are those indirectly affected by an event. When “Killings” begins Frank Fowler is already dead after being the one indirectly affected by an act of murder. Matt and Ruth, the parents of Frank, are those who the reader is supposed to identify with. In “The Curse,” the rape victim does not have an ounce of backstory yet we know everything about Mitchell Hayes. By telling a story about the aftermath of a tragedy Dubus is able to teach us that causing harm to someone only provokes the demons in others and solves nothing. The lesson that causing harm to others leads to problems in society is a vague and obvious one. With this being said there are still people living in society willing to hurt other people for their own selfish desires. Dubus’ work is certainly a testament to that. If

people stopped doing horrible things there would not be such brutally realistic fiction literature in the world. While this would certainly be a loss for those who enjoy this type of literature, I think that almost everyone can agree it would be worth it. Rather than exploring why these people do the things that they do, Dubus looks into how people respond to these things after they are done. Through these responses we are able to see the true nature and capability of people. Therefore, Dubus tells tragic stories to make a describe how people act in the face of injustice and how these actions define them as a person. II. In an essay by Joshua Bodwell, the work of Andre Dubus is praised and glorified. Bodwell refuses to say what seems to be the easiest critique of Dubus’ work that is that it is filled with bitter and unapologetic characters. Bodwell, however, looks to a more insightful side of his work. Rather than seeing these characters as “dark and brooding (Bodwell 5),” Bodwell recognizes the complexity and rawness of them. Bodwell proves that these characters are simply human and nothing more. They are not perfect, nor are they purely evil. They are redeemable and apologetic just like any average person. Like us they have dark secrets and flaws. This makes the characters as real and human as any one you would see in physical form. As Bodwell remarks in his essay, Dubus often begins his story with his main character being on “the cusp of a powerful incident (Bodwell 14).” It is no surprise that Dubus has had his share of these powerful incidents in his own life. In one of the unfortunate events that have been plagued upon his life, Dubus is hit by a car while helping a stranded driver. According to Encyclopedia Britannica he would be in a

wheelchair from then on. The article also offered some background on the author. This included a description of his education and a run through of some of his work. Another factor that contributes to the genuineness of his work is the presence of religion. In an essay by Peter Donahue entitled “God, Church, and Family: Moral Give and Take in Andre Dubus’ A Father’s Story,” he speaks of religion and how it relates to one of Dubus’ most poplar stories. While the story is neither “Killings” nor “The Curse” the character of Luke Ripley experiences ordeals similar to those experienced by Matt Fowler and Mitchell Hayes. All three of these men are flawed, yet live according to the code of Christianity. When faced with these moments that call for immediate reaction these men act in ways that fit their criteria of morals. Because of this these characters emulate a sense of Catholic guilt that is seen through their questionable responses to these situations. . “In the kingdom of God, peace and justice will be fully realized. Justice is always the foundation of peace. In history, efforts to pursue both peace and justice are at times in tension, and the struggle for justice may threaten certain forms of peace.” This quote, which was first said by The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, is used in this essay and used well. In Dubus’ stories each of his protagonists display their own form of justice that do not fit the confines of Christianity. Matt Fowler uses his own form of justice when he murders the man who took his son’s life. This may sound just to some but overall the act of murder is cancerous to society no matter what the reasons for it are. In Andrea Ivanov’s discussion of “The Curse” she explains that the character of Mitchell “purges his soul in other ways” (Ivanov 2) than prayer or revenge. As a man who witnessed the rape of a woman and did nothing to defend her this purging goes

poorly for him. Mitchell descends into a world of guilt. Ivanov speculates that this despair has to do with a feeling of “emasculation (Ivanov 2)” after failing to save someone of the opposite sex. “The Curse” is a perfect example of the danger of sitting idly by as an act of injustice takes places before your very eyes. III. Dubus’ “Killings” tells the story of a man who does act in the face of an unjustifiable occurrence. What has occurred is the murder of Matt Fowler’s son, Frank. This tragedy has left the Fowler family in despair and Matt feels that it is up to him to remedy the problem. At the funeral for the young man he remarks, “I should kill him” (Dubus 1). “Him” is referring to the man who took the life of his son after Frank had been having an affair with the man’s wife. The man’s name is Richard Strout and in the context of the story he had been known to bully Frank while he was still alive. Karma catches up to Strout when Frank begins an affair with his wife, Mary Ann. The last laugh, however, is given to Strout. What we have at this point in the story is a father taking responsibility for contemplating revenge on the man who killed his son. The killing coming from a man who had felt that is manhood was threatened after his wife had slept with another man. He feels that if he doesn’t do something about the affair he would be less of a man. After meeting Mary Ann for the first time Frank receives a beating from Strout. The jealous rage in Strout is seen in this incident and seen as even more of a danger when he takes the life of Frank for sleeping with his wife. When Matt becomes involved we see another case of male dominance. From the beginning of the story we see the sympathy that Matt feels for his wife, Ruth. “Ruth sees

him. She sees him too much…She can’t even go out for cigarettes and aspirin. It’s killing her too much” (Dubus 2). From this we see that Matt’s desire for vengeance comes not only from his love for his son, but for the love of his distressed wife as well. We could tell that Ruth is just as angered by the murder as Matt is. However, it is clear that she expects her husband to perform the act of revenge. This adds on more pressure to Matt and eventually forces him to go through with it. During the act, Dubus revisits this idea that Matt is doing this for his wife just as much as he is doing it for his son. Matt says, “My wife keeps seeing you. We can’t have that anymore” (Dubus 16) to Strout as he holds a gun to his head. From the actions taken by each male character in this story we see the urge for dominance. The love triangle between Frank, Strout and Mary Ann is what caused the death of Frank. While Strout murdered him, it may have never happened if Frank had not engaged with Mary Ann. Through this we see “complex characters that are neither all good nor all evil, neither all right nor all wrong” (Bodwell 1). Another example of these types of characters would be the character of Mitchell Hayes in Dubus’ “The Curse.” The first time we are introduced to Hayes he is tending bar late at night. Suddenly there is struggle between some of the customers. The struggle is revealed as a gang rape of a young woman. Paralyzed by the horrific occurrence he is witnessing, Hayes ceases to stop the rape from happening. “One of them stopped me. He shoved me, that’s all. I should have hit him with a bottle” (Dubus 6). By not hitting him with a bottle and not trying to stop the men in any other way Hayes enters “a problematic dynamic of masculinity and emasculation” (Ivanov 1). Hitting the man with a bottle would have certainly been the “masculine” thing to do. By this I mean that because

Hayes is a man this is what society would expect out of him in that type of situation. Even though Dubus does not explicitly state this it is certainly implied. Throughout the story I could not help but imagine the same story if all the men and women besides the rape victim switched genders. If Hayes were a woman physical altercation would not be expected of him as much as it is when he is a man. From the beginning of time males have taken the dominant role over women. Because of this they are still expected to be the more physically aggressive and daring counterpart to females. This is clearly misconstrued and a result of years of accepted misogyny among society. With that said it still remains true that men are expected to be the one in a situation to take physical action when it needs to be taken. If society did not think this way than Hayes would not be feeling the “pain and terror and grief” of the victim like he is by the end of the story. IV. The relationship between Matt and his son, Frank is a traditional one. Throughout the story the reader is given reason to believe that they are just like any other father-son duo. Matt discusses his pride for his son when he says that he “had been proud when Frank at seventeen outgrew him” (Dubus 7). He also explains his concern over his son when describing the night that Strout “beat Frank” (Dubus 4). From reactions like these we can see that Matt is a part of the proud, blue-collar demographic that Dubus writes about in most of his works. When Matt’s son is murdered we see how these types of people “respond to loss” when “violence forces its way into” their lives (Grubgeld 1). In this situation Matt responds by taking a life for a life when he murders his son’s killer. This response may be considered lawfully “justifiable” (Grubgeld 1) but it is still morally

wrong and Frank knows that. The final scene where Frank lays in his bed with his wife shows Frank’s recognition of this immorality. As Matt lies in bed with his wife Dubus mentions “a sob that he kept silent in his heart” (Dubus 22). This sob could possibly be for the murder he had just committed or maybe it is for something else entirely. We know from the story that Matt is aware that his son is engaged in an affair and shows no sign of disagreement with it. He denies the fact that Mary Ann is married and makes excuses for his son (Dubus 7). When his Ruth tells him that Strout and Mary Ann aren’t divorced yet he replies, “Massachusetts has crazy laws, that’s all” and that Mary Ann’s past has “nothing to do with Frank anyway” (Dubus 7). Matt also has conversations with his son where he encourages him to marry her (Dubus 9). These are the parts of the story that force me to think about a different interpretation for ending. It is obvious that if Frank had never involved himself with Mary Ann he would still be alive. So by encouraging him to go through with the affair, Matt has contributed to the demise of his son. It is obvious that the “sob” felt by Matt in the end of the story came from a place of guilt. This place of guilt can definitely come from regret for the committing an act of murder. However, it can just as likely come from the feeling that if Matt had took control of the situation from the beginning he would not be in his current state of displeasure Unlike “Killings,” the reason for the guilt felt by Mitchell Hayes in “The Curse” is unambiguous. Upon witnessing the rape of a young woman Hayes is thrust into a world of this guilt. This is different than “Killings” in that the reader does not get a strong sense of that guilt felt by Matt until the last few lines of the story. The reason for this indifference is that “Killings” tells the story of a man who commits murder as a form of

vengeance and the internal consequences that follow. “The Curse” tells the story of a man who remains neutral in the face of a tragic, unjustifiable act and his internal consequences. The internal regret that Mitchell feels is confirmed after the rape occurs. While it is occurring he does nothing. The reason for this absence of action is most likely because he was scared and not because he felt nothing towards what he was witnessing. When it is all over Mitchell finally embraces the sobbing victim. Dubus writes:

“When it was all over and she lay crying on the cleared circle of floor, he left the bar and picked up the jeans and tee shirt beside her and crouched and handed them to her. She did not look at him. She lay the clothes across her breasts and what Mitchell thought of now as her wound…He wanted to speak to her and touch her, hold a hand or press her brow, but he could not.” (Dubus 2)

In this part of the story we see Mitchell fully acknowledging the caliber of the situation. By seeing the aftermath of a rape he understands that the victim will never be the same. Dubus gets this idea across by having Mitchell refer to the woman’s breasts as her “wound.” It is here where see Hayes acknowledge the fact that this woman is scarred for the rest of her life. The reason why he could not touch her is possibly because he felt he had contributed to her scarring as a result of not preventing the rape from happening. Every other character in the story acts a confidant to Mitchell. None of them blame him for his decision even when he blames himself. When Mitchell remarks to his friend Smitty that he “could have stopped them” his friend reminds him that it is not his

job to do so (Dubus 3). Throughout the rest of the story Mitchell continues to guilt himself. It is not until he is faced with other people besides his friends and family when his guilt reaches its high point. This occurs back at the same bar where the rape had happened. Mitchell remarks that none of the customers “looked at him as if he had not cared enough for the girl, or was a coward” (Dubus 6). The fact that people were thinking about him as a victim rather than a “coward” bothered him a great deal. In a way it made him feel even worse about himself and caused the guilt to become a “curse” that spread throughout his whole body and made him quiver.. V. What makes “Killings” and “The Curse” so compelling is that the characters within the stories are just as human as the readers. It is even plausible to say that Dubus bases many of his characters off of himself and others in his life. As we read these stories we understand the conditions of humans, including ourselves. These imperfections is what contributes more than anything else to this sense of humanism. The fact that we are imperfect readers is what gives these stories plenty of potential to be reflections of our own lives. In “Killings,” the imperfections of Matt Fowler are exposed when he murders the man who killed his son. This type of vigilante justice may be deemed acceptable among the average family man. Although it is obviously illegal to murder anyone, in the context of Matt’s murder it seems justifiable. Dubus himself would probably not condemn Matt for doing what he did either. Dubus is certainly one of these patriarchal family men who take threats to his family lightly. As a former marine who carried weapons and believed in “intervene(ing) effectively on behalf of others” (Grubgeld 1). From this we could tell

Dubus certainly sees himself in his own character. Despite seeing himself, Dubus also allows his readers to see general human characteristics in some of his characters. The part of his story where Strout is taken captive by Matt is a great example of this. In this part we see Strout simply packing a bag as Dubus gives us a descriptive commentary on his apartment (Dubus 20). It is done in such a way that the reader can easily see Strout as a regular person who is no different or better than us. Even though the reader empathizes with Matt, in this scene we see Strout, not as a villain, but as someone who is no less or and no more than human. VI. When one reads a book by Andre Dubus they are looking through a special type of lens into the world where we all live in. His realistic stories tell the tales of people who can pass for the average man or woman. This is the case because Dubus himself is an average man. A Christian family man with a military background and a special knack for writing. It is the unusual events in his life that have the made the man he has become. This parallels the way in which his characters have their normal lives radically changed by certain events. The event in Dubus’ life that had this type of effect occurred when he made the decision to help out a stranded driver. As a result of this decision he is hit by a car and paralyzed for the rest of his life. Similar to the event in Matt Fowler’s life, Dubus did what he thought was the right thing to do and was negatively affected as a result of it. “The Curse” is an example of what happens when you do not do the right or the wrong thing. Mitchell Hayes simply did nothing and hated himself for doing so. Perhaps “The Curse” is Dubus’ way of letting his readers know that he stands by his decision to help that driver because if he did not then he would live a life of regret for not helping

someone in distress. Through both of these stories he is able to capture the true human spirit by putting his characters in situations that require an emotional response. When a freak occurrence poses a threat to a person or someone that person cares about the person does not have control over what happens next. This is what Dubus teaches us. He shows us inevitable reaction when Matt cannot be satisfied until Strout is dead. He shows us this again when Mitchell Hayes does nothing after witnessing a rape and descends into a downward spiral of guilt. A person will do what he thinks is right in one defining moment and their decision will reflect their true self. However, before we judge a person we should take into account what we would do in their situation and then judge ourselves as well.

VII. (Sources Cited) - "Andre Dubus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 12 May. 2015. - Bodwell, Joshua. “The Art of Reading Andre Dubus: We Don’t Have to Live Great Lives.” Poets and Writers, 2008. 17 May. 2015. - Ivanov, Andrea. “Doing Penance in the Old West: "Sisters" as Andre Dubus's Final Word on Suffering Rape.” High Beam Research, 2008. 17 May. 2015. - Grubgeld, Elizabeth. “Living on the Invisible Palm of God: Andre Dubus and the Ethics of Forceful Resistance.” Religion and The Arts, Volume 6, 2002. Oklahoma State University. 17 May. 2015. - Donahue, Peter. “God, Church and Family: moral give-and take in André Dubus' A Father’s Story.” The Journal of the Short Story in English, 1997. 17 May 2015....