The Killers Short Story Question Answers for BA

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.

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.

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.

The Killers Short Story

The Killers is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. You can read the full-text story in another post
but this post only includes the critical summary and short summary of the story.

Critical Summary of The Killers

The Killers is full of horror and suspense. The story begins when Two killers named Al and Max
enter a restaurant named Henry's Lunchroom, near Chicago. They order the dinner but they are
told by the staff that the dinner was not ready until 6 o'clock in the evening. They make fun of
the hotel staff for their odd time schedule. They, somehow, want to eat whatever was present at
that time. They are served with ham and bacon.

After eating their meal, they get up and ask Nick Adams, a customer, and George, a hotel
servant, to go behind the counter. They ask George to bring Sam, the black cook, out of the
kitchen. Al goes into the kitchen and takes on Nick and Sam and ties them with a cloth. He stuffs
their mouths with a cloth so that they could not be heard. Max talks to George and tells him that
they are here to kill a person named Ole Andreson. They know that Ole Andreson often visits
that restaurant for dinners at six. They tell the staff not to let anybody in while they are there.

They wait for the Ole Andreson with hotel staff tied and covered by guns. Ole Andreson does not
come there till 7 o'clock and they have to leave. After they leave, George unties Nick and Sam.
Nick, then advised by Goerge, goes to the place where Ole Andreson lives to warn him about the
danger to his life. He speaks to the woman who looks after the place. She tells him that Ole
Andreson has got strange behavior and is lying on the bed inside the room.

Nick goes to him tells him the whole story. Ole Andreson doesn't seem to be interested. Nick
suggests that they should go to the police but Andreson doesn't want so. He tells that he has
strangled in a complicated game cannot escape death. He is not ready to take Nick serious.

Nick returns to the hotel and tells George and Sam all about his visit to Ole Andreson. George
says that it may be a result of double-crossing by Adreson to someone. Nick cannot bear Ole
Andreson's situation, lying and waiting for death, and wants to leave the town. George supports
his idea and tells him not to think too much about Ole's Dilemma.

The theme of the Story

The story tells us much about the lifestyle and attitude of the lower class of American People.
The readers are kept in suspense throughout the story. In the beginning, the readers think that
story has Ole Andreson and the Killers as main characters. Later, it reveals that Ole Andrson is
planning for death to himself leaving the beauties of life. The writer wants to convey to us the
message that satisfaction and peace in life is the actual life. The man with too many enemies
cannot live a happy and long life. The Ole Andreson, instead of being the hero of the story,
proves to be a sluggish, coward and pessimistic man.

Nick Adams, is a central figure in this story who goes to warn Ole Andreson about The Killers
after him. Hemingway's style and tone make us realize that Nick has neven been in such
conditions before. He is the most impressed by the horror and tension created by the Killers. He
is sad to see Ole Andreson lying on the bed and waiting for the death. The story shows how hard
times, the ironic incidents change the attitude of the youth. That's why Nick wants to leave the
town after the tragic incident. The Killers are a symbol of horror and war. Hemingway has
beautifully incorporated the characters of different age, experience, and attitude to represents
all the segments of society.

In a nutshell, the story is the depiction of today's law and order situations in society and its
effects on people's lives.

The Killers Important Short Questions

Q.1. Who is the writer of the story 'The Killers'?

Ans: The story 'The Killers' has been written by Ernest Hemingway, an American writer. He a
famous novelist and Nobel prize winner.

Q.2. Why is the Hotel staff unable to serve the meal to Al and Max when they ask for food?

Ans: When Al and Max enter the restaurant, It is five o'clock. They ask for the dinner items.
Dinner time starts at six o'clock. So, the food is just being prepared and is not yet ready. So the
staff cannot serve it right now.

Q.3. What did the Killers eat at Henry's Lunchroom?

Ans: When they were told that the dinner was not ready, they asked if something was available
to eat. On their demand, they were then served with ham, eggs, and bacon. Al eats ham and
eggs while Max eats bacon and eggs.

Q.4. What the Killers look like? OR Describe the appearance of the Killers.

Ans: The killers were dressed up as twins. They have different faces. They wore derby hats and
black coats. They wore silk mufflers and gloves.

Q.5. Name the staff present in Henry's Lunchroom when the killers enter.

Ans: There is Sam, the cook, George, the counter boy, Nick Adams, a native customer in Henry's
Lunchroom when the Killers arrive.

Q.6. Why did the Killer want to Kill Ole Andreson?

Ans: The Killers, as they revealed in the story, were professional killers. They seemed to have
nothing personal with Ole Andreson. They wanted to kill him because they had been hired by
someone to kill him.

Q.7. Why Ole Adreson does not take interest in Nick's news about the killers?
Ans: Ole Andreson is a pessimist. He has no hope of his escape from the killers. He has quitted
struggling and is now ready to die. So, he is not interested whether someone is caring for him.