So I decided to take a stab at reception theory on the short story Killings by Andre Dubus. For those who might have written on Pagan Night instead, Killings is about a father (Matt Fowler) who with the help of a friend (Willis Trottier) seek revenge on the man who killed Matt's son Frank in a crime of passion. The main cultural and societal influence coming into play in the perception of the general reader of this story is that it is morally wrong to kill someone. This is coupled with the idea, which creates conflict, that at times it is necessary to right a wrong in the context of vigilante justice. While it is not going to be the general perception of all people that vigilant justice is ok, the author definitely uses the idea of vigilante justice and the love of ones child to at least make this particular reader question their perceptions of what constitutes a "justified killing" and what is moral or immoral. The idea of vigilante justice has in recent years made its way into popular culture with such televised mini series such as Dexter, which enjoyed great success, and by its popularity, might serve as an indicator to the acceptance of vigilante justice in American pop culture. Popular shows such as Dexter are likely to play into a popular acceptance of vigilante justice thus influencing a modern day readers perspective of the text. Other current events that could influence a modern reader would be the Chelsea King murder trial. While the killer of Chelsea King was caught and convicted of murder and is now serving a life sentence, he made a plea bargain for his life in exchange for revealing the location of his victims. It is this type of judicial compromise in the eyes of most people just doesn't seem fair. This sense of fairness will definitely effect the perception of most readers. It did effect my perception of the text. It didn't seem fair to me that in the story Franks's killer would only receive a 20 year sentence for his murder. Just like I personally do not think that Chelsea Kings murder should be living in solitary confinement while she is dead.
I didn't read Killings, but I can definitely see how our culture would influence my reading and perception of the story. I don't think it's something that most people often think about it, but when you stop and ask yourself when you think a murder would be justified, it's definitely hard to come up with an answer right away. Television is a huge influence on today's culture, and Dexter is a perfect example of a vigilante that the audience generally sympathizes with.
ReplyDeleteCulture definitely plays a massive part in the perception of this sort of revenge based justice, but so also do factors such as religion or stance on politics, which I felt could've been brought up. Unless one argues that these also fall under culture.
ReplyDeleteDon, this is well put: "This is coupled with the idea, which creates conflict, that at times it is necessary to right a wrong in the context of vigilante justice." This is a great example: "Popular shows such as Dexter are likely to play into a popular acceptance of vigilante justice thus influencing a modern day readers perspective of the text." I think there's a longstanding (in literature and film) tradition of such vigilante justice supported by the public -- Robinhood stands out to me in particular.
ReplyDeleteDon, this is well put: "This is coupled with the idea, which creates conflict, that at times it is necessary to right a wrong in the context of vigilante justice." This is a great example: "Popular shows such as Dexter are likely to play into a popular acceptance of vigilante justice thus influencing a modern day readers perspective of the text." I think there's a longstanding (in literature and film) tradition of such vigilante justice supported by the public -- Robinhood stands out to me in particular.
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