Bullet to The Brain: Analysis of Themes

We chose this story because it’s a very interesting piece of literature. The story already begins with a tense atmosphere that keeps you on your toes throughout. We specifically chose it for all its graphic descriptions about the death of the main character Anders. This piece of writing is very unique from all the other 13 pieces we’ve read so far, so that is why we chose it.

Themes of Change, Self, Respect and Death

One of the major themes revolves around self change by looking closer at the exact memory he had seconds before his death we can get a better insight into this story’s theme; “Heat. A baseball field. Yellow grass, the whirr of insects, himself leaning against a tree as the boys of the neighbourhood gather for a pickup game”. More specifically he remembers the cousin of a boy named Coyle. As they start the game and the cousin is asked what position he wants to play he answers, “Shortstop, Short’s the best position they is”. This is where the story picks up a noticeable change in the main characters’ personality. Clearly the boy made a grammatical error, Anders however does not respond the way he did at the bank earlier on in the story. “Anders turns and looks at him. He wants to hear Coyle’s cousin repeat what he’s just said, but he knows better than to ask. The others will think he’s being a jerk, ragging the kid for his grammar”.

One focused theme of this story could be change, more accurately personal change. Throughout the story we see two very different versions of Anders, at first as someone very critical, sarcastic and blunt, and in his last memory as someone who takes people’s thoughts and feelings into consideration. We notice a vast contrast between the two and this being his only memory he is able to remember could show his awareness of that being a time he could actually enjoy life. Meaning he might have doubted his own changes as a person and the way he was in the time leading up to his death.

Respect is another theme in this story. At the beginning of the story you can see the main character Anders being quite a pompous. He’s very disrespectful and sarcastic. This is evident when he talks to a woman in front of him in line. He manages to criticize close to everything that is brought to his attention.

The line at the bank is “endless” the woman in front of him is called a “presumptuous crybaby” and their conversation “loud” and stupid”. In this short conversation, you get to see the way Anders talks to strangers and his use of sarcasm. “Unforgivable, Anders said.

Heaven will take note”. However, this is mainly noticeable when two men in masks appear out of nowhere to rob the bank. Through his jaded behaviour and witty responses, he is quickly approached by one of these men and shot in the head. This also happens to correlate with the element of fiction conflict in the story. When Anders mocks the men in the masks. This is evident in this conversation:

• “Then get your ugly ass in gear and fill that bag.”
• “There you go,” Anders said to the woman in front of him.
• “Justice is done.”
• “Hey! Bright boy! Did I tell you talk?”
• “No,” Anders said.
• “Then shut your trap.”
• “Did you hear that?” Anders said. “‘Bright boy.’ Right out of ‘The Killers’.”
• “Please be quiet,” the woman said.
• “Hey, you deaf or what?” The man with the pistol walked over to Anders. He poked the weapon into Anders’ gut. “You think I’m playing games?’
• “No,” Anders said, but the barrel tickled like a stiff finger and he had to fight back the titters.

Last but not least the theme of death. The author describes Anders death in a very graphic way, explaining even the minutest of details. “The bullet smashed Anders’ skull and ploughed through his brain and exited behind his right ear, scattering shards of bone into the cerebral cortex, the corpus callosum, back toward the basal ganglia, and down into the thalamus. But before all this occurred, the first appearance of the bullet in the cerebrum set off a crackling chain of ion transports and neurotransmissions. Because of their peculiar origin these traced a peculiar patter, flukishly calling to life a summer afternoon some forty years past, and long since lost to memory”. This helps us go back to the main theme of the story which is self-change, because when Anders is faced with death he finally reflects on who he truly once was.