Reasons For The Murders Of Dylan Klebold And Eric Harris

When someone commits an act there is usually a reason behind it, no matter how ridiculous. However, in rare circumstances it seems impossible to identify a driving force. This seems to have been the case for the Columbine massacre that occurred in April of 1999. Many professionals have dedicated countless hours to drawing a conclusion as to why Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris terrorized their school and murdered their fellow classmates. By using the clues and evidence, some have managed to draw very strong arguments as to why the two teens committed the outrageous deeds they did.
Throughout the year planning prior to the massacre, Dylan would sometimes second guess his willingness to commit the murders with his pal, Eric. As Dave Cullen writes

What made the situation even worse was his inability to exhibit compassion. “Anger was the one thing that would boil over sometimes.
The loving part, that stuff could be singing inside from the highest mountain, only he wasn't
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1 about to let it show. The anger would just erupt.” (261) He would come to rely relentlessly on the love he had on his crush Harriet and the thoughts of suicide. He was indeed conflicted with decisions. With everything occurring in Dylan’s life, it can be concluded that logically he could be identified as depressed. The problems would pile up on his shoulders, creating a constant state of unhappiness that he wouldn't ever escape from for the duration of his life.
Eric was a different case entirely. He was incredibly independent, stubborn, manipulative, fearless, and seemingly charismatic. He knew how people’s minds worked and just how to control them to his advantage, leading to his near expert conning tactics and lying abilities. This would in the end give Eric the permanent label of a psychopath or even

He craved the sensation it had, just as he did shooting the weapons from his arsenal. The idea of causing mass murder and human suffering was incredibly appealing to Eric and his twisted thoughts. Cullen says it best on page 240, “They will fraud, maim, or kill for the most trivial personal gain.” And that’s exactly the thought process that Eric’s mind was accustomed to thinking.
Even though both of the teenagers had very different personalities and traits, the two clicked. They were fueled off each other’s energy and were reliant on one another to carry through to the end. “Eric was guiding his unsteady partner: fantasy to reality, one step at a time.
Dylan ate it up. He came alive on camera. His eyes bulged. You could sense true rage smoldering beneath his skin.” This quote taken from page 264, describes the two so perfectly. It
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1 clearly shows that when Dylan was tempted to retreat, Eric knew just the words to reel him back in. You could see the effect of Eric’s influence in Dylan’s behavior and journal entries.