9. “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)