The Killers

Characters

100

What are the name of the 2 hitmen?

Al and Max

200

Which character is really a symbol?

Mrs. Bell

300

Who is the main character of the story?

A protagonist is the character whose motivation makes the story happen. He is not necessarily the hero or the viewpoint character. The protagonist in Hemingway's "The Killers" never actually appears!

400

What are some ways the Hemingway code hero relates to this story?

Most of Hemingway's heroes aspire to the "code hero" as an ideal: courageous, honorable, etc. Given the blatant description of Max and Al as gangsters, and George guessing that Ole must've gotten involved in something in Chicago (Capone), Nick shows his youth and naivete, asking them "What's the idea?" when they tell him to go into the kitchen. This is Nick Adams' introduction to evil. So, although Nick may have known (prior to this event), what a hero is, this is his introduction of what a hero might be faced with: two men who kill for the sake of killing (and for money, presumably) and Ole's listless passivity in waiting for the inevitable. Nick can't accept that Ole has given up. George and Sam want nothing to do with it. So, Nick's decision to visit Ole is the primary illustration of heroism: Nick is not afraid to get involved.

500

Characterize Nick Adams

Nick is a typical Hemingway hero who is learning ‘‘the code.’’ Hemingway’s ‘‘code hero’’ is someone who is honorable, courageous, and adventurous and who exhibits grace under pressure. He distinguishes himself from others by his ability to endure and to face death with dignity. Such traits define the code hero’s manhood.

Setting + characters

100

What is the name of the diner?

Henry’s lunch-room

200

Explain the ending of the story

At the end of the story, Ole is resigned to getting killed eventually and has given up trying to elude the man who wants him dead.

300

Describe the setting of the story

The time is late autumn in the mid-1920s. The place is Summit, Ill., a real town on the western outskirts of Chicago. The town's name derives from the fact that it is located on high ground between the Des Plaines and Chicago Rivers. The scenes in Hemingway's story take place in a restaurant, on a street parallel to streetcar tracks, on a side street, and in a rooming house.

400

What is the historical context of the story?

Written in 1926, Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers" is a story set in the historical period of Prohibition when organized crime was at its rampant with such larger-than-life figures as Al Capone and Dutch Schultz controlling the bootlegging industry. In addition, Hemingway's disillusionment with American in the wake of World War I is also present in this narrative of two professional killers. Tight coats, have guns, come from out of town, where gloves and wear hats. The narrator describes the two as ‘‘a vaudeville team.’’ And, indeed, they often act like comics performing a routine rather than behaving as hit men.

500

Characterize Ole Andreason

Ole thanks Nick for telling him but is resigned to his fate. He tells Nick that he has not been able to get out of bed and go outside and that he is ‘‘through with all that running around.’’ Mrs. Bell, the house manager, calls him ‘‘a very nice man.’’ There is an irony in Ole’s largeness, when compared to Al and Max’s small stature. Ole, unlike Nick, knows that telling the police about the men will do no good. Ole knows better; he knows that his mass is relative to other things such as guns and the mob.’’

Small facts

100

What does Al and Max calls Nick?

bright boy

200

When is the story written? (give and take 1 year)

1927

300

What type of gun did Al have?

A sawed-off shotgun

400

Where in the story does Hemingway use irony?

When describing the silly hit men, who in fact behave very little like gangsters

500

What is Henry supposed to tell future customers, when they are being held as hostages?

That the cook is off

More characters

100

Where is Ole Anderson from?

Sweden

200

Why did Al and Max want to Kill Ole?

They wanted to kill him because they were being paid to do so by some unidentified man whom Ole told Nick he had double-crossed. Since Ole had been a professional boxer, it is likely that he double-crossed some mobster by deliberately losing a fight (taking a dive) when he was supposed to win, or winning a fight when he had agreed to take a dive.

300

Describe the 2 killers

Al: Hired killer, apparently from Chicago. He wears a black overcoat, derby, and gloves. Max: Al's partner. He also wears a black overcoat, derby, and gloves. They often act like comics performing a routine rather than behaving as hit men - caricatures of gangsters.

400

Explain the conversation between Nick Adams & Anderson in The Killers

Ole Anderson has pretty much given up. Nick at first feels silly telling him there were two guys in the restaurant looking to kill him. And while Nick is genuinely concerned for Ole, he is just as much totally bewildered by Ole's apathy, Al and Max's nonchalance and George's (and Sam's) indifference. All we know about Ole is that he's convinced he's done for, is tired of running, and just lacks the courage to go out and face what's coming to him: his death. That is disturbing enough, but the most disturbing part of this story is how every character (except Nick) just accepts that this is the way things are and that Ole's fate is just the way things are going to be.

500

How is Nick Adams influenced throughout this story?

Nick's bewilderment and maybe disenchantment with the passivity (or nihilism) he observes in George and Sam. This and Ole's despair in surrendering are what prompt him to leave town. Nick is the (learning) hero (aspiring to the "code hero") because he is the only one noticeable affected. He is relatively heroic (relative to the other characters) because he won't/can't accept this kind of senseless violence

Joker

100

What person is the story "The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway told in?

It uses Objective point of view and is narrated by third person .

200

What are the basic characteristics of minimalism?

ordinary subject matter Simple language and sentence structure passive and affectless protagonist very little plot (in the traditional sense) use of historical present tense spare, emotionally restrained writing style "The Killers" fit within this style in many ways. There is nothing extraordinary about the story. It is, in plain sense, simple. There is hardly any plot, virtually no character development, and very little description of the setting in the story. Hemingway also gives an objective view to the story, an "effaced authorial presence"; his minimalistic approach influenced American writing

300

Mention at least 3 symbols from the story

black attire of the killers: Death; corruption; evil. clock: Indifference, apathy. Accepting the Status Quo. counter towel: George's wish to forget about the Andreson matter. When he wipes the counter, he wipes clear the Andreson episode and moves on with his life. restaurant: The changing times. The restaurant had been a tavern but was remodeled into a restaurant after the government outlawed the sale of liquor. Like the restaurant, society as a whole also changed. streetcar tracks: Inability to escape death. The tracks connect to Chicago and the outside world. Ole Andreson has been running from the killers and takes refuge in a rooming house in Summit. But, as the streetcar tracks suggest, it is impossible for Andreson to isolate himself completely from the men "tracking" him down." tree branches: Imminence of death. As Nick leaves the restaurant to go to the rooming house, the narrator says, "Outside the arc-light shone through the bare branches of a tree." Obviously, it is late fall, not long before winter—a traditional symbol of death. wicket: Racial barrier. Sam, a black man, is the cook. Working in the kitchen, he is separated from the whites by the wicket (a tiny door) through which he passes food.

400

Comment on the style and language of the story

Hemingway uses gangster-like dialogue, as well, to characterize the killers. They are disinterested in where they are; they are just there to do a job. The triviality of their discussion also indicates their callousness and cold-blooded nature Their conversation later is peppered with insults, wisecracks, and slang. For instance, they demean the black cook and call Nick "bright boy." Nor do they answer any questions directly. Other characters reveal their personalities in their speech, as well. When George speaks he indicates his desire for uninvolvement, while Nick displays his naivete in his words of incredulity.

500

What are the main themes of the story?

Masculinity - manly men who live by a code of honor, parodies his own image of masculinity by making the hit men, Al and Max, clownish figures. Crime - 
Societies have laws to ensure a safe environment for their citizens, to maintain order, and to instill a sense of justice in the populace. The blatant flouting of laws, as in Hemingway’s story, suggests not only that society has deteriorated but also that there is nothing to be done about it. Chaos - 
Hemingway’s plot is laden with irony and with characters misreading one another, suggesting that the world is not as it seems.