In The Bedroom Analysis

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Matt Fowler is portrayed as a passive and rationale person in the film, In the Bedroom, but that midway through the film, it seems that he changes to become more angry and assertive. After his only son, Frank, was killed in a domestic dispute, Matt was devastated and now dealing with his failing marriage among other issues. As a way to solve all of his problems, Matt murdered Richard, the man who killed his son, but was it in cold blood? Matt was in control of the situation and although it may seem like he was coerced into killing Richard and did not necessarily want to, ultimately, it was his decision to pull the trigger. Matt killed Richard because he was under the impression that there would not be justice on the death of his son and he…show more content…
Everywhere they went, Matt and his wife, Ruth, saw Richard whether it was at the store or just on the streets. In the eyes of the Fowler’s, the authorities were allowing a murderer to freely roam the streets; no justice was being served from Frank’s death. Additionally, Natalie was the only witness, therefore it was unlikely Richard would be charged anything more than accidental manslaughter meaning even if he was charged, he would not face any long prison sentence. Andre Dubus, author of Killings, was making a huge criticism on our society’s justice system by writing the story. Dubus wrote in his short story, “He walks the Goddamn streets,” referencing how Richard, a murderer, was free talk walk the streets without any form of punishment. Killings was criticizing how the law, which is supposed to protect people and serve justice, was not serving its sole purpose.This angered Matt so much that he took on the role of a vigilante, taking the law into his own hands. The law was not going to do much to punish Richard so Matt took it upon himself to give Richard the punishment he deserved; even if this meant committing a crime just as detrimental as Richard. Matt clearly wanted to kill Richard because Matt strongly believed that was the most merited punishment and the law was not going to serve his son…show more content…
Starting from the death of his only son, his life down spiraled, leaving him in ruin and left with the weight of his consequences on his shoulders. The death of Frank was a tragedy in itself; he was unexpectedly murdered, resulting in great sorrow and distress. From there on, Matt’s life continued to dwindle. His marriage was falling apart, no justice was served for his son, and he made an unforgivable decision to end the life of another man. At the beginning of the film, Matt was a passive, rationale, family-man. He would never own a gun, let alone consider shooting someone. Killing Richard ruined Matt; took away the best qualities of Matt and turned him into an unforgivable, destructive person. This was the downfall of Matt, hence why his life turned into a tragedy. Matt Fowler voluntarily made the decision to kill Richard; he wanted to save marriage and seek out justice for his only son. Matt wanted Richard dead and now he will forever live with that

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