Leonard Michaels' "Murderers" in My Opinion, the Term Paper

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Leonard Michaels' "Murderers"

In my opinion, the story "Murderers" by Leonard Michaels is not just a story about five boys' obsession with watching the rabbi share intimate moments with his wife; it is a powerful story about one boy's experience with escapism and how that escapism, through tragedy, resulted into his coming of age. By consciously selecting certain details seen through the eyes of a young boy, Michaels presents the exhilarating and devastating events of a single day in a refreshing way.

From the beginning of the story, the narrator, Phillip, seems to be distracted with death, which is an important theme in the story, though it always seems to be in the back ground of the story. Phillip expresses he wants to escape death. This is implied in his statement that he "didn't want to wait for it" (Carver 339) and it also indicates that he is eager to explore life. The reader is also lead to believe that Phillip is also wishing to escape the kinds of death that his family had experienced. For example, when he states that his "family came from Poland and never went anywhere else" and that his uncle Moe "should have been buried "where he shuffled away his life, in the kitchen, or in the den, under the linoleum, near the coffee pot" (Carver 339), the reader discerns a hint of resentment of this kind of inclusive living. In addition, Phillip also says that "family meant a punch in the chest, a fire in the arm" (339), which illustrates his negative attitude toward his family.

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He finds his way of escaping by way of the subway system, where he travels as far as a nickel will take him. He goes to Queens, Coney Island, and "toward the George Washington bridge -- beyond which was darkness" (Carver 339). Clearly he is choosing to escape the kind of boring life his family lead.

The element of escapism is heightened as the boys climb the buildings to reach the top of the water tank. This also illustrates a sense of adventure as the boys crossed a "ledge six inches wide... dragged bellies and groins against the brick" to reach the so-called "primal scene" (Carver 340). Although this was a dangerous move, Phillip expresses the fact that they sat on top of the water tank "like angels, shot through the light, derealized in brilliance" (Carver 340).

This was the beginning of philosophy," (Carver 340) the reader is told. The fact the narrator also says that he didn't know how many times they had risked "shameful behavior... risking life itself to achieve the eminence" (Carver 340) proves that by reaching the top of the water tank they had "made it" to a place they could call their own. In their world, they had accomplished the great escape.

Michaels explores this sense of escapism even more as he allows the boys the watch the rabbi and his wife make love practically uninterrupted. He also paints a vivid image of how adolescent boys are obviously obsessed with sex and women. Phillip is able to recall rich details which reinforce this idea. For example,.....

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