Andre Dubus' "The Curse"

Andre Dubus' short story "The Curse" illustrates one man's inner struggle with guilt. Dubus includes the essential elements necessary to create a successful classic story in that it contains a high emotional level, complication, rising action, and a climax. The story is also successful because it deals with a realistic circumstance.

Mitchell Hayes, as the protagonist, is a very dynamic character. The story revolves around his thoughts and actions. He is also dynamic because the reader watches him transform from a relatively light-hearted, self-assured man to a man unable to escape the guilt that grips him. The complication, or initial conflict, of the story is the raping of a girl by the bikers. Mitchell is held back and therefore prevented from helping her.

Mitchell's inability to accept the fact that he could not have prevented the rape of the girl grows into an obsession, hence the...
[ View Full Essay]