The Killers by Hemingway

Summary
The story The Killers is about the idea that crime does not pay. Criminals try to escape
the consequences of their crimes, but they cannot. They have to face them resignedly.
Nobody can help them. They are alone and their own.
It is five oclock. Two men enter a restaurant. Their names are Al and Max. They are
killers. They have come to kill Ole Anderson. Ole is a customer. George, Nick, and Sam
are members of the staff of the restaurant.
The two men sat at the counter. They order for a heavy dinner. George tells them that it is
five Oclock and they can get the heavy dinner at six Oclock. They talk to the members
of the staff rudely. They make fun of them and call them bright boys.
After eating his meal, Al takes Nick and Sam to the kitchen. He makes them hostages at
the gunpoint. Max sits with George at the counter to handle the situation. Max asks
George to tell the customers that the cook is off. Fortunately, Ole does not come. After
waiting almost two hours, they leave the restaurant.
After their departure, Nick goes to Oles residence to tell him about the killers. However,
Ole listens about the killers very casually. He tells him that nothing can be done. He
thanks Nick on his coming and telling him about the killers. Nick returns and tells George
about Ole. Nick is afraid of and wants to leave the town. George agrees to it.
Discuss the start of the story with a special relevance to the two killers. OR What
time do the two men enter the restaurant? Tell about their physical
appearance and dress. How do they order for food?
It is five Oclock when two men enter the restaurant. It is getting dark and streetlights
come on. When they come in, they find George and Nick at the counter. They are talking
to each other. Both the men are of the same size. No doubt, their faces are different but
they are wearing the same kind of dresses. Because of the same dresses, they look like
twins. They are wearing very tight overcoats and gloves.
George asks them what they want to eat but they give a very strange answer. They tell
George that they do not know what they want to eat. Then they order for a heavy dinner.
George tells them that it is 5 Oclock and they can get the dinner at 6 Oclock. Then they
talk about the clock that is 20 minutes fast.
The two men change their order but George again tells them that they will get that at 6
Oclock. They get angry and use harsh words. They change their order for the third time
and George agrees to serve them their desired dishes. Then the killers order for some
drink. George tells them that he has no bitter drink for them. It appears that the two men
are strangers there because they do not know the name of the town. (219)
How do the Killers treat the members of the staff of the restaurant?
The two killers treat the members of the staff very rudely. They make fun of them. They
make them hostages and threaten to kill them.
Firstly, we see that they talk very rudely and their favourite word is hell that they use
too often. Max says about the clock, Oh, to hell with the clock This sentence clearly
shows their way of speaking. They do not let them talk. They even do not let them to look

at them. When they eat and George looks at them, they do not like it. Max says to
George, what are you looking at? George says, Nothing. Max says, The hell you
were. When George laughs, Max says, You dont have to laugh.
Secondly, they make fun of them. They call them bright boys. Al calls George dumb and
thinker. He calls Nick a bright boy too. Max says, The towns full of bright boys.
Thirdly, they make them hostages and threaten to kill them. Max asks Nick to go to the
other side of the counter. At this Nick says, Whats the matter? Al says, You better go
around, bright boy. Al threatens George. He says that he will blow his head off. When
they are about to leave Al asks Max, What about the two bright boys and the nigger?
Actually, he wants to kill them, but Max does not agree. They frighten them to death.
(235)
What was the reaction of Ole Anderson when he heard about the killers who had
come to kill him? What were the feelings of Nick Adams after that?
When we read the story The Killers carefully, we find that the reaction of Ole was very
casual when Nick told him about the Killers. The writer has described his reaction and
condition very beautifully.
When Nick told Ole about the killers, he said nothing. Nick told him that the killers
wanted to shoot him, but still Ole said nothing. He looked at the wall. His looking at the
wall shows his indifference to the serious situation. Nick told him that George had asked
him to come to him and tell him about the killers. Ole said, There isnt anything I can do
about it.
He also said that he did not want to know what the killers were like. He thanked Nick for
his coming and telling him about the killers. He told him that going to the police and
running out the town would not do any good.
He knew that the killers would kill him and it was not a bluff. He said to Nick, There
aint anything to do now. He was talking in the same flat voice. When Nick left, he saw
Ole lying on the bed and looking at the wall. Therefore, Ole listened to the news very
indifferently and casually. He was resigned to his fate. He knew that the killers would kill
him and there was no escape. (226)
What is the theme of the story The Killers?
The theme of the story The Killers is that crime does not pay. Criminals try to escape
the consequences of their crimes, but they have to face them. Nobody can help them.
They are alone and on their own.
Firstly, Oles present condition clearly tells us that crime does not pay. Two professional
killers are after him and want to kill him. Perhaps he has double-crossed someone who
has sent these killers. His crime has put him in a horrible situation. He is alone in his
room and lying on his bed. He has lost interest in everything, even in his life. His looking
at the wall shows that.
Secondly, he cannot escape the consequences of his crime. We can guess that these killers
have been chasing him for a long time. Ole Anderson has been doing everything to get rid
of these killers. Now he has come to know that he will have to face the consequences.
That is why, he tells Nick, Im through with all that running around. He thanks Nick for
his coming and telling him about the killers. He plainly says, There aint anything to do
now. We find resignation in his actions. He has accepted the fact that the killers will kill

him.
Thirdly, we see that nobody can help him. He tells Nick that going to the police and
getting out of the town will not do any good. Nick cannot help Ole.
Therefore, the theme of the story is that crime does not pay. A criminal has to face the
consequences of his crime after all. (264)
Bring about the horror in the story The Killers by Ernest Hemingway.
The story The Killers is full of elements of horror. When we read the story, we find that
the elements of horror are very dominant at four different places in the story.
Firstly, we find horror when the killers make the members of the staff of hostages. Al
takes Nick and Sam to the kitchen at the gunpoint. He ties them back-to-back. He gags
them with towels. Max stays with George at the counter. Al threatens George indirectly
that he would blow his head off. This is a very horrible situation for the people like
George, Nick, and Sam. They are frightened to death.
Secondly, when the killers go back, Al asks Max, What about the two bright boys and
the nigger? Actually, he wants to kill the members of the staff of the restaurant, but Max
does not agree. We see that Al is so cruel that he wants to kill three innocent people. It is
horrible to kill people without any excuse.
Thirdly, the helpless condition of Ole is very fearful. He looks so much helpless that the
reader takes pity on him. He feels that nobody can do anything about it. Oles condition is
very horrible. He is lying on his bed and is looking at the wall. He is waiting for his
death. He knows that he cannot escape the killers by running away and going to the
police. He feels that nobody can help him. He is waiting for his death.
Fourthly, the talk between George and Nick also creates horror. Nick is so much afraid
that he wants to leave the town. He says, Im going out of this town. At this George
says, Thats good thing to do. Sam is so afraid that he does not want to listen to
anything relating to Ole and the killers. This is really a horrible situation. (310)
Bring out the elements of suspense and irony in the story The Killers.
The writer has made the story The Killers powerful with the help of suspense and
irony.
The elements of suspense are found right from the start of the story. The sudden start of
the story creates a lot of suspense. The reader wants to know about the two men. He also
wants to know why they are being so rude. The way they order the waiter keeps the
suspense alive. They make fun of them. They call them bright boys. They particularly
make fun of George, call him a thinker, and dumb. They do not let him laugh and look at
them. These things add to the suspense of the story.
The suspense reaches the highest point when the killers make the hostages. The reader
wants to know why they have done so. However, the suspense is not fully satisfied when
he comes to know that they want to kill Ole Anderson. At this point, the reader wants to
know why they want to kill Ole Anderson. He is given only a clue that Ole might have
double-crossed somebody. He also wants to know whether the killers will be able to kill
Ole. We see that he does not get the answer. There was suspense that the armed men
might rob money and things and someone might be injured or killed.
Irony in the story is that after committing some crime, Ole thinks that he will escape its

consequences. At the end, we find him fully resigned to death. Despite of much suspense
and horror, the end of the story is sudden and unexpected. (264)
The story The Killers reflects some of the darkest aspects of the modern
society. Discuss.
No doubt, the story The Killers reflects some of the darkest aspects of the modern
American society.
When we go through the story, we find that there appears to be no hold of law and order
in the modern American society. It is very easy to kill and to make hostage to anyone.
Gun is the order of the day. The killers have a gun and they make the members of the
staff hostages. They control the situation in the restaurant for more than two hours and
there is no police around. People are killing each just to oblige their friends. They do not
need any serious excuse.
People are helpless against these killers. They cannot escape the killers even by running
away and leaving towns. They cannot get help from the police. In the story, Nick advises
Ole to get help from the police, but Ole says, That wouldnt do any good, and There
aint anything to do. This is the darkest aspect of the modern American society.
Even innocent people are helpless against the killers. They cannot get help from the
police either. The best they can do is to leave towns.
At the end of the story, we find that everybody is afraid. Sam, the cook, even refuses to
listen to anything relating to Ole. Nick says, Theyll kill him, and George says, I guess
they will. These sentences show the situation of law and order in the modern American
society.
Therefore, we can conclude that the story, The Killers reflects some of the darkest
aspects of the modern American society. (264)
What kind of understanding does The Killers impart to the reader?
The story The Killers imparts the understanding to the reader that crime does not pay.
Criminals try to escape the consequences of their crimes, but later they have to face them.
Nobody can help them. Secondly, it imparts the understanding that there is no hold of law
and order in the modern American society.
When the reader goes through the story, he finds Ole Anderson lying on his bed and
looking at the wall. Two professional killers are after him and want to kill him. It appears
that Ole has done something wrong. The reader can guess that these killers have been
chasing him for a long time.
The reader also comes to know that Ole has tried everything to get rid of these killers, but
has failed. Ole plainly tells Nick, There aint anything to do now. He tells him that
going to the police and getting out the town will do nothing. When the reader reads this,
he understands that criminals cannot escape the consequences of their crimes.
The story imparts another understanding to the reader that the modern American society
has some dark aspects. It appears to him that there is no hold of law and order. Innocent
peoples are at the mercy of killers. The best they can do is to leave towns.
Therefore, this is the understanding the story, The Killers imparts to the reader. (230)
The Killers is a powerful modern short story. Discuss.

No doubt, The Killers is a powerful modern short story. It has all the elements that
make a short story powerful. It has a sudden start and unfinished ending. It has a good
plot, the best-conceived characters, and a lot of suspense, irony, and satire. Moreover, the
writer has not given his personal feelings anywhere in the story.
The abrupt start of the story creates a lot of suspense. The reader wants to know who
these men are, why they are being so rude, and why they have come to the restaurant. He
also wants to know why the killers have made the members of the staff hostages. The
suspense is satisfied when the reader knows that they have come to kill Ole.
At this point, the reader wants to know why they want to kill Ole. The reader is given
only a clue that he might double-cross somebody. We do not know whether they will kill
Ole. Hence, the suspense remains alive even after the end of the story.
Irony in the story is that after committing some crime, Ole thinks that he will escape its
consequences. Satire is on the modern American society. It appears that there is no hold
of law and order. Innocent people are at the mercy of killers. The best they can do is to
leave town.
Therefore, we can say that The Killers is a powerful modern short story. (236)
Discuss the attitude and the opinion of other characters of the story, except the
two killers, about Ole Anderson. Give your own opinion too.
When we read the story The Killers carefully, we find that all other characters of the
story except the two killers have very high opinion about Ole. For the members of the
staff he is a good, nice, and regular customer. They do not know that he has doublecrossed someone. That is why they cannot understand why the two killers are after him
and why they want to kill him.
They like him so much that they are ready to risk their own lives to save his. George asks
Nick to go to Oles residence to tell him about the killers. Actually, he wants to tell Ole
about the killers. Nick goes there and offers his help. He advises Ole to get out of the
town. This shows that he has very high opinion about Ole.
The same is the case with Mrs. Bell. She thinks that Ole is a very nice man. When she
finds that Ole is not well, she advises him to go for a walk to feel better.
I also have a very high opinion about Ole. He is really a nice man. Although he is fully
resigned to death, yet he thanks Nick on his coming and telling him about the killers. He
may have done something wrong but we are not sure about it. Like other characters of the
story, except the two killers, I also like Ole. (234)
CHARACTER SKETCHES
Ole Anderson
In fact, Anderson represented many old men of his time who did not find anything
interesting or worth attention in life after their active years. Life and death were now
equal to him. In an extreme way, in all the surrounding dullness, boredom, and emptiness,
Anderson might have thought of death as an escape like many dissatisfied, disenchanted
people who even committed suicide. This is one result of highly industrial societies
where active people in business leave lonely persons like Anderson to themselves.
Andersons life, then, symbolizes some of the darkest aspects of American life or of the
advanced Western civilizations. Inner peace and spiritual satisfactions are what religion
alone can provide.

He may be a middle-aged fellow. He is a tall man. He has been a heavyweight boxer.

He is a polite fellow, and people like him. Mrs. Bell, the housekeeper, likes him. When
George comes to tell him about the killers, he thanks him.
Two killers are after him and want to kill him. He has been running from town to town,
but now he is ready to die. He has realized that nobody can help him and he will have to
face his death. Nick asks him, Isnt there something I could do? He answers, No.
There aint anything to do. This answer shows his mental condition.
Therefore, we can say that he is a polite and good fellow. He may have done something
wrong in Chicago. Now he is ready to face his death. (248)