Bullet in the Brain The title might be misleading to anyone used to action-packed short pieces of fiction. One might imagine a gunfight occurring in a crime drama were the protagonists shoot at each other and bullet ends up in one of their brains. However, he or she would be disappointed. It is the case of Anders, a book critic who will not keep quite. He is in a banking hall transacting his business, but he has an opinion about almost everything. Most of his opinions are dry, opinionated, and off-putting to say the least. There is a robbery, and even then, he continues his snide remarks. He is shot in the head, hence the title. Before proceeding, the author takes us on a short history of Ander’s life. In this project, this writer shall look …show more content…
It starts off as satirical and almost playful. The main character takes every interaction as a literary joust. The audience can see that the man does indeed get irritated by the lady teller closing her counter and going to chat with her colleague. It is clear that he is in the same boat with all the other customers. However, when the lady in front of Anders makes a comment, he turns sarcastic. The author intentionally uses the word tragic to make the case seem petty. It is the author’s aim to exercise the reader in the first instances in the art of satire, and he succeeds. Even when the main character is critiquing the mural, there is still a tone of satire. Anders even manages to inject the sarcasm into the criticism of the robbers, who are holding a gun to his …show more content…
The whole thing changes and becomes retrospective. Slowly but surely, the playfulness disappears from the presentation. Where there was, a play of words comes a serious look at a person’s life. The trajectory of the bullet seems to be set on a course that unlocks memories in stages. The sarcasm fades away, and one can almost feel a tone of empathy with Anders. It is a radical shift most probably because the piece is short. The author has to make his point before he runs out of room. The tone is exemplified in the soft manner in which the story analyzes the man’s memory. The sharp wit is replaced by softer words that one would say are more human. It seems the audience might have judged Anders too soon, and the reader starts feeling a little