The Killers an ironic short story by Ernest Hemingway. This story is included in "Short Stories" book of English in BA English for Punjab University. You can read the notes of English for BA from Zahid Notes.
Suddenly, they took out their guns and began to create horror and fear. They tied the staff with ropes and stuff their mouths with towels and other clothes. They told them that they had come to kill a man named Ole Andreson. They told them they were hired by a friend to kill Ole Andreson over a business deal fraud. The atmosphere of the Lunch-Room was full of horror and suspense. They waited for their target to come to the hotel. After an hour or the two, Ole Andreson did not enter the room. The Killers decided to leave the hotel as they could not wait for their victim more. As they left the restaurant, the atmosphere came to normal slowly. The staff of the restaurant was too much frightened. They untied themselves and began to normalize their senses.
One of the staff member named Nick Adam went to tell all the situation to Ole Andreson, the man been in target of the Killers. This type of scenes is not usual in that locality. Thus, the killers cast a shadow of horror and death on the staff of the hotel.
Restaurants and hotels are the favourite places for the criminals as they can easily target their victims by creating a horror scene in these places. Moreover, they did not have to search for their target as it reaches to them itself.
Q.No. 2. What does the story tell us about American society?
Ans: The story shows us the social life of lower-middle-class of the American Society. The story gives us the impression that American Lower class people live a miserable life. They have to face death threats for unfair business dealings. Life is full of struggle for survival. People have lost emotions and romance and have become practical and dull.
One part of the society, as the professional killers represent in the story, is criminal-minded people and the other part of the society, as Ole Andreson, represent in the story, is victimized and oppressed people. The latter is too much in deadly affairs that they do not want to live more. They prefer death over this kind of miserable life. The criminals would not let them relish life and enjoy what they have.
The people just do whatever they have to do for money- whether it is the killing of someone. They do not waste time in excuses and explanation. As the killers in the story declare that they had come to kill a man without knowing the exact reason. The criminals are professional, which means they kill the people as a profession or business. This situation highlights the moral decline of the Americal society.
The killers can be hired. It means that the rich people who have the money can hire killer for their rivals, who are poor. The poor people try to struggle against this cruel part of society, but they have to suffer so much that they lose hope and quit struggling. Moreover, the individuality prevails in society. There is no collective consciousness among the people. That is why many of the people like Ole Andreson die alone in their rooms. They do not bother to make friends and share things with them and take their help.
The story suggests that one should not involve in any unfair business as it brings about the danger to one's life. People should indulge each other in positive things like talking, attending the sick, giving gifts, asking others about their problems and helping others in the time of distress.
Q.No.3. What is the theme of the story The Killers by Hemingway?
Ans: You can see the Theme of the Killers Here.
Q.No.4. Describe the reaction of Ole Anderson when he heard about the killers chasing him.
2. The Summary of the Killers by Hemingway
2. The New Constitution
3. Breakfast
4. Take Pity
5. Happy Prince
6. Araby
7. The Tell-tale Heart
8. The Necklace
The Killer Short Story
The short story The Killers is basically the 1st short story of the book. I have explained all the questions and answers of the story below. You can download it in PDF and also copy the texts to a word file to save it as pdf. Below is everything you need about this story.Short Introduction
This is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. The Writer creates suspense in a different way. He narrates the project of two killers who come to a hotel to kill a man who visits that hotel frequently and they think he will come there to eat on that day too. The story explains how a man becomes pessimists and his life changes the course.The Detailed Questions and answers of the story are as follows.
Questions answers
Q. No.1. Describe the scene in Henry‟s Lunchroom on the arrival of the Killers.
Ans: Henry's Lunch Room is the name of a small hotel. Their customers usually belong to lower-middle-class. The staff of the restaurant was preparing for dinner when the two killers arrive there. Their names are Al and Max. There was no customer there in the hotel as it was not the dinner time, not lunchtime. The Killers asked to the food. The staff told them that nothing was prepared by that time. They insisted on having something to eat. They were served with what was available at that time. They looked like twins as they wore the same type of dress although they had different faces. They wore derby hats with silk mufflers around the necks and gloves on their hands. They wore overcoats and talked in strange ways. They never looked like decent people. They used vulgar language with the staff of the restaurant.
One of the staff member named Nick Adam went to tell all the situation to Ole Andreson, the man been in target of the Killers. This type of scenes is not usual in that locality. Thus, the killers cast a shadow of horror and death on the staff of the hotel.
Restaurants and hotels are the favourite places for the criminals as they can easily target their victims by creating a horror scene in these places. Moreover, they did not have to search for their target as it reaches to them itself.
Q.No. 2. What does the story tell us about American society?
Ans: The story shows us the social life of lower-middle-class of the American Society. The story gives us the impression that American Lower class people live a miserable life. They have to face death threats for unfair business dealings. Life is full of struggle for survival. People have lost emotions and romance and have become practical and dull.
One part of the society, as the professional killers represent in the story, is criminal-minded people and the other part of the society, as Ole Andreson, represent in the story, is victimized and oppressed people. The latter is too much in deadly affairs that they do not want to live more. They prefer death over this kind of miserable life. The criminals would not let them relish life and enjoy what they have.
The people just do whatever they have to do for money- whether it is the killing of someone. They do not waste time in excuses and explanation. As the killers in the story declare that they had come to kill a man without knowing the exact reason. The criminals are professional, which means they kill the people as a profession or business. This situation highlights the moral decline of the Americal society.
The killers can be hired. It means that the rich people who have the money can hire killer for their rivals, who are poor. The poor people try to struggle against this cruel part of society, but they have to suffer so much that they lose hope and quit struggling. Moreover, the individuality prevails in society. There is no collective consciousness among the people. That is why many of the people like Ole Andreson die alone in their rooms. They do not bother to make friends and share things with them and take their help.
The story suggests that one should not involve in any unfair business as it brings about the danger to one's life. People should indulge each other in positive things like talking, attending the sick, giving gifts, asking others about their problems and helping others in the time of distress.
Q.No.3. What is the theme of the story The Killers by Hemingway?
Ans: You can see the Theme of the Killers Here.
Q.No.4. Describe the reaction of Ole Anderson when he heard about the killers chasing him.
Ans: When Nick arrives at Ole Andreson's room, he finds him lying on a bed with his face towards the wall. Nick told him about the killers who wanted to kill him. Ole Anderson's reaction was quite strange. He seemed to be uninterested in knowing more about the killers. He didn't say a word and kept looking at the walls without turning to Nick. The behavior of Aole Andreson tells us much about his state of mind. He is least interested in Nick's horror news he came with. He told Nick that he had fought this battle for a long time and then he had lost courage. He had given in and is no more afraid of the death. Instead, he was waiting for death.
Nick told him that George wants to see him to learn more about the killers. Ole Said that he can do nothing about it. When Nick asks him to go to the police, Ole Andreson refuses to do so as he knew the police will do nothing and he is going to be killed very soon. This attitude of Ale Andreson illustrates his pessimistic approach towards life. He is a coward and pessimist man. He wants to lye there down and become a soft target for the killers. He believes that there is no hope of his escape.
More about The Killers:
1. The Theme of the Killers2. The Summary of the Killers by Hemingway
More Short Stories:
1. Rappaccini's Daughter2. The New Constitution
3. Breakfast
4. Take Pity
5. Happy Prince
6. Araby
7. The Tell-tale Heart
8. The Necklace
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