The Slaughter By Matt Wolff Summary

Matt Fowler, a man who cared about his children dearly, was the man who had to do the unspeakable, bury his own child. After his son was murdered in cold blood by the Richard Strout, the man whose Frank’s new lover was married too, we see how Fowler handles the brutal murder of his son. In the beginning Fowler reacts how any person would when it comes to the death of a friend or family member, mourning. He does nothing but sit around the house with his wife Ruth and cries, denying his friend’s plea to go drinking with them. Then he finally succumbs to the invitations when Ruth tells him to go out and take his mind off the situation. After they are done playing poker he stays after and enters the most dangerous stage of grief, anger. He begins

They wait for Strout outside of his place of work until he gets off and walks to his car, then they approach him with a loaded pistol and make him drive to his house. The plan starts to be revealed when Fowler makes Strout pack a suitcase and tells him “You’re jumping bail.”(Dubus 115). The plan makes sense when they are driving to play place that Strout was supposedly going to stay, until Strout starts questioning Fowler about where they are going and doing. Fowler’s delayed responses and faulty plan solidify the idea that they are in fact not going to make Strout jump bail. The entire time this happening , he is holding the gun to Strout’s head or neck, always shaking in nervousness implying that he is not a cold blooded killer like the man in front of him, “The barrel trembled but not much, not as much as he expected.”(116). He even admits to himself that he had to bring his friend along with him because he wouldn't be able to handle himself ,“Matt had not told Willis that he was afraid he could not be alone with Strout for very long-”(113). You can really tell the amount of hatred Fowler has for this man, even though he may not be a killer, he would kill for his family. Then they pull off into a