Theme Of The Intruder By Andre Dubus

Love, a complicated state of mine one can be in, making it difficult to grasp the hard-held truth that comes with it. In Andre Dubus’s The Intruder, Kenneth a boy of wild imagination and a fondness over his sister Connie makes efforts to protect and retain her. As Connie’s boyfriend Douglas decides to sneak out and meet with her, Kenneth hears the footsteps and an attempt to defend him and his sister, he grabs his gun and shoots, for who he thinks is a prowler. The harsh action that Kenneth makes, is a result of the jealousy and deep affection that he has for his sister Connie.

“Killings”, Andre Dubus’ short story, revolves around a father who seeks vengeance against his son’s killer. The story is about the murders committed by Richard Strout and Matt Fowler in their attempt to get retribution and ease the pain in their hearts. The circle of killings is first caused by the murder of Matt Fowler’s son, Frank, by Richard, which leads to the retaliatory killing of Richard, by Matt. This infinite, unforgiving circle of killings and attempts at retribution is what Dubus portrays in a nonjudgmental view. The readers are left to see how the act of killing affects Richard and Matt and decide how much their retribution costs them.

How do you allow God to take control of your life and entrust that everything will be okay? This was the type of question author Anne Lamott (2006) baffled with in these next few chapters. Lamott (2006) shares her personal life story of entrusting God in her book Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. This paper will provide a summary of chapters two thru four, combined with a personal reflection, and conclude with a few desired questions that ideally could be answered by Lamott.

If we resist temptation, we will submit ourselves to God but if we succumb to temptation, we will fall for lies. Therefore, the Christian’s choice determines whether he will submit to God or fall for the lion’s lies. Knowing our adversary’s attacks allows us to be aware of his subtle deceptions. If you know your enemy’s playbook, you will be better equipped when he attacks. C.S Lewis’s book “The Screwtape Letters” offers us a peek into our enemy’s playbook by presenting a demon named Screwtape as he composes letters to his nephew Wormwood on how to

The Justice Project Physical disability is one of the most challenging things that someone can go through in their lifetime one of those people is Matt Barnes who overcomes the challenges of having a physical disability and helps his client through his dedication and courage. The Justice Project is a mystery novel by Michael Betcherman that tells us the story of Matt Barnes, A high school student who is passionate about solving his cases. But when Matt’s client Ray Richardson is charged with murder, he wants to fight for his client's innocents, later on in the book he discovers his courage and determination. This essay will explore how Matt Barnes overcomes some challenges he faces including him having a physical disability and helps his client through his dedication and

As Screwtape advises his nephew, "When they meant to pray for courage, let them really be trying to feel brave. When they say they are praying for forgiveness, let them try to feel forgiven. Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by its success in producing the desired feeling, and never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired, at the moment" (Lewis, 16). The emotional rush that occurs when drawing near to the Holy Spirit is a feeling almost every Christian has experienced. New believers tend to use this feeling as their sole motivation for prayer, study, and worship.

Have you ever met somebody that has regretted doing something that they might not think they regret doing? Regret happens all the time but how people handle it is always different. Not everybody handles it the same. Even some of Jesus’ disciples have regretted things, such as Judas. Judas was the disciple that betrayed Jesus and turned him over to the Romans to be killed.

Sheila has him move in and reports to her sister during the first month that Kenneth has demon eyes and she thinks he is a pedophile. During this time she is abusive to Kenneth while making him make a recording of his voice reading a confession to being a pedophile. She took him to Wal-Mart where an employee takes a picture of Kenneth in a wheel chair cart looking beat up with huge gas cans in the basket on March 17. On March 23rd, Sheila calls the Epping police department to tell them Kenneth has left her. Police officer’s go to Sheila’s home on the 24th of March to do a well-being check on Kenneth at the request of his mother.

Throughout the first reading, the reader is hopeful for Kenny, believing that he will survive and make it to the hospital; however, reading from the perspective of an omniscient, the callousness of Tub and Frank, and even the man and woman in the old farmhouse, is glaringly apparent. After Kenny is shot, there seems to be no urgency to get him medical attention - not to stem the blood flow, give him anything for pain or even to find a doctor closer than the hospital 50 miles away. Frank and Tub are completely apathetic to Kenny and his needs. Kenny even says to Frank and Tub, “There’s some aspirin in the truck” to which Frank responds “I’m all right” (Wolff).

Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters explores the struggles of temptations that mankind goes through before and after they become Christians. By taking advantage of vanity, pride, and pleasures, Wormwood attempts to lure the patient into Satan’s camp with the guidance of Screwtape. The Law of Undulation is where a person goes through a series of troughs and peaks and is presented with the options of growing closer to God or falling into temptation. During and after World War II, people began questioning religion and the role it played in their lives. This was a great valley in which many were presented with conflicting views.

McDowell begins the book with an anecdote of his life; a familiar story of the sceptical university Agnostic, ready to fire back a retort at the slightest mention of God, Christianity, and anything (or anyone) within. He recounted the all too common feeling of a meaningless life, the seemingly innate itch of human existence, and how it brought him to various places in his life—until he stumbled upon a particular group of people and was changed forever. This introduction, though short, is crucial to understand, for it sets the stage for the remainder of the book. It tells not only the story of a former non-believer, but the story of everyone—it presents us the life of Jesus Christ, not as a gentle sermon or a feel-good retelling, but as an assertive, rational reply to the accusation: ‘Christianity is a myth, and so is your God.’

When things get difficult people get scared. They tend to give up and stop, letting fear control them. In the book Nightjohn, by Gary Paulsen, John is faced with many fears. Throughout the story, John is teaching a young slave girl named Sarny how to read and write. As slaves, learning to read and write is considered illegal, which makes learning dangerous.

Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” is filled repeatedly with imagery. These descriptive phrases of imagery provide vivid details that make the story easy to imagine, so real and visual. Bradbury’s writing comes alive to the reader. This short story is about a peaceful man, walking by himself, who is picked up by the police and thrown in jail. Imagery helped readers understand the setting of “The pedestrian.”

Andre Dubus, short stories contain a common theme of revenge, morality, and justice. In “Killings” published in 1979, Andre displays the theme of revenge and justice through the development of characters, the title of the story, and the thrill of the suspense. Dubus neglects to take sides with the characters in the “Killings”, which leaves it upon the readers to make assumption whether the killings were justifiable. Dubus has a very unique style of writing, the main characters in “Killings” were given a choice that could’ve led them to a completely different outcome. Dubus keeps the readers on their toes because the opposite usually ends up happening.

The Apostle Paul struggles with weakness and suggest to his readers, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians