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Anders is a jaded, cynical book critic, and the protagonist of “Bullet in the Brain.” When he visits a bank that is then robbed by criminals, the robbers’ clichéd speech causes Anders to laugh, leading one robber to shoot Anders in retaliation. As Anders is shot, scenes from his past play out, demonstrating that he was not always embittered and unhappy. He used to be passionate, emotional, invested in poetry and language, and capable of deep respect for other people. In particular, one scene from Anders’s childhood involving Coyle’s cousin illustrates how Anders used to be open to other people’s differences. In fact, in his youth, Anders was extremely moved by the way Coyle’s cousin mispronounced a common phrase. In his adulthood, however, Anders has lost his love for language, and has also begun to resent his job, leading him to become the sour and miserable man in Wolff’s story. He is sarcastic to strangers, and unable to see beyond his cynicism even when he is put in mortal danger. His more redeemable qualities only come to light when he is shot, providing a stark contrast to his death.
Anders Quotes in Bullet in the Brain
The Bullet in the Brain quotes below are all either spoken by Anders or refer to Anders. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Bullet in the Brain Quotes
The line was endless and he got stuck behind two women whose loud, stupid conversation put him in a murderous temper. He was never in the best of tempers anyway, Anders—a book critic known for the weary, elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed.
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This passage is an encapsulation of Anders’s personality. He is a quick-tempered and embittered book critic, known in his professional life for disliking “almost everything” he reviews. Anders’s temper and bitterness keep him aloof and isolated from other people: when he is stuck in a line with other restless customers, his first response is not to commiserate or sympathize, but to criticize. Instead of being annoyed by the mundane act of waitinga common annoyancehe is angered by the “stupid conversation” taking place in front of him. Anders is more sensitive to the misuse of language than the tedium of errands, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occ
Anders had conceived his own towering hatred of the teller, but he immediately turned it on the presumptuous crybaby in front of him. “Damned unfair,” he said. “Tragic, really. If they're not chopping off the wrong leg or bombing your ancestral village, they're closing their positions.”
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This passage illustrates how Anders’ cynicism and unkindness keeps him from interacting amiably with complete strangers. The two women in front of him, who provoked him with their “stupid conversation,” begin making disparaging comments about a bank teller. When they turn to Anders, expecting him to join in on their commentary, he does not commiserate with them. Although Anders and the women are equally angered by the bank teller’s illogical decision to close her window early, Anders still cannot resist unleashing his cynical wit on the women. Despite the fact that Anders feels a sense of shared frustration, cynicism still Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam
“Oh, bravo,” Anders said. “‘Dead meat.’” He turned to the woman in front of him. “Great script, eh? The stern, brass-knuckled poetry of the dangerous classes.”
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In this quote, Anders demonstrates how his cynicism not only supersedes any sense of solidarity with his peers, but also prevents him from accurately assessing the danger of a situation. When two masked robbers enter the bank and threaten the customers, Anders does not react with fear or caution like the rest of the customers; instead, he comments sarcastically on the robbers’ clichéd words. Revealingly, Anders addresses his quip to one of the women he ridiculed earlier, further demonstrating his unawareness of social graces and illustrating how isolated he is from the people around him. Anders is more interested in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eli
The barrel tickled like a stiff finger and he had to fight back the titters. He did this by making himself stare into the man's eyes, which were clearly visible behind the holes in the mask: pale blue and rawly red-rimmed. The man's left eyelid kept twitching. He breathed out a piercing, ammoniac smell that shocked Anders more than anything that had happened, and he was beginning to develop a sense of unease.
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This passage brings Anders and his antagonist, the robber, into direct tension. The robber, feeling disrespected by Anders’s sarcasm, holds his pistol against Anders’s gut to threaten him, but Anders has to keep himself from laughing. Anders’s cynicism and dark sense of humor have led the robber to this point of escalation, yet Anders seems unable to understand the real danger he has put himself in. When Anders finally takes a moment to look beyond his contempt and mockery by “making himself stare” into the robber’s eyes, however, he begins to change his behavior. Anders seems to finally recognize the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste.
The domed ceiling had been decorated with mythological figures whose fleshy, toga-draped ugliness Anders had taken in at a glance many years earlier and afterward declined to notice. Now he had no choice but to scrutinize the painter's work. It was even worse than he remembered, and all of it executed with the utmost gravity.
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The robber tells Anders to look up at the ceiling, as Anders’s direct stareand dawning awareness of the situation’s gravitymakes the robber uncomfortable. Anders obeys, and the moment of recognition between the two men is broken: Anders falls back into his usual habits and expresses his cynicism by mentally mocking the painted ceiling. Forced to “scrutinize the painter’s work,” Anders finds little to appreciate. Instead, he criticizes the ugliness of the venerated, ancient figures, and is especially derisive of how seriously the artist takes his work. To Anders, jaded by years of criticizing writers’ best efforts, innocent dedication does not Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta
Anders burst out laughing. He covered his mouth with both hands and said, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” then snorted helplessly through his fingers and said, “Capiche-oh, God, capiche,” and at that the man with the pistol raised the pistol and shot Anders right in the head.
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Anders momentarily loses his cynicism when he realizes the robber’s capacity for violence, but it is not enough to change Anders’s behavior entirely. When the robber reverts to his clichéd, gangster speech, Anders breaks into laughter, unable to resist showing off his contempt. Revealingly, it is the robber’s language that prompts Anders’ scorn; even in a moment of intense danger, Anders’s disdain for cliché is what provokes his judgment. Although the robber’s behavior briefly forces Anders to see beyond his overwhelming sense of cynicism, he is still the jaded critic, and his bitterness skews his ability to behave appropriately. Although Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusan
He did not remember Professor Josephs telling his class how Athenian prisoners in Sicily had been released if they could recite Aeschylus, and then reciting Aeschylus himself, right there, in the Greek. Anders did not remember how his eyes had burned at those sounds.
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In this passage, which illustrates an unremembered scene from Anders’s past, Anders is deeply moved by his college professor’s recitation of ancient poetry. In contrast to his adult personality, which is characterized by disdain for everythingincluding art depicting ancient figuresAnders’s youth was a time of deep emotional engagement. Anders’s past veneration of subjects such as poetry and art only highlight how drastically he has changed: art used to have the capacity to evoke passion and feeling from him, but now it leaves him feeling unmoved. In fact, Anders has become so cynical in his adulthood that he is more likely Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut v
He did not remember when he began to regard the heap of books on his desk with boredom and dread, or when he grew angry at writers for writing them. He did not remember when everything began to remind him of something else.
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In this passage, which depicts another unremembered scene, Anders is portrayed as a character whose life is defined by monotony and dullness. Surrounded by books and language, which in his youth would have provoked passion and engagement, Anders only feels “boredom and dread.” Cynicism seems to have stolen all the joy and happiness from Anders’s personality: language, which was once capable of evoking surprise or excitement, is now represented by the dreary “heap of books” that pile up on his desk. Moreover, Anders is so thoroughly absorbed in his cynicism that he has grown “angry” at the writers whose work Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati.
“Shortstop,” the boy says. “Short's the best position they is.” Anders turns and looks at him. He wants to hear Coyle's cousin repeat what he's just said, though he knows better than to ask. The others will think he's being a jerk, ragging the kid for his grammar. But that isn't it, not at all-it's that Anders is strangely roused, elated, by those final two words, their pure unexpectedness and their music.
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In this passage, Anders’s current cynicism is sharply contrasted with the past innocence and love of language that defined his youth. A newcomer to the neighborhood, Coyle’s cousin, is visiting from Mississippi; he is invited to participate in a local baseball game with Anders and his friends. Coyle’s cousin chooses to play shortstop, but when he explains his rationale, his accent changes the sound of his words into something new. Anders is “elated” to hear the cousin’s mispronunciation, as the “unexpectedness” of the words’ rhythm excites him. As an adult, this type of mispronunciation would likely fuel Anders’ sense of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque p
But for now Anders can still make time. Time for the shadows to lengthen on the grass, time for the tethered dog to bark at the flying ball, time for the boy in right field to smack his sweat-blackened mitt and softly chant, They is, they is, they is.
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In this passage, Anders is coexisting in two separate eras. In his adult lifethe present momenthe has just been shot and is close to death, as a bullet is passing through his brain. In his memory, though, he is reliving an innocent and nostalgic scene from his childhood: he is in the middle of a summertime baseball game. Memory has allowed Anders to “make time” to redeem himself, despite his current cynicism. In his past, Anders is an innocent boy who respects others and forgives them for mistakes, and a mispronunciation inspires wonder, not scorn. In fact, Anders is so Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. E
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Anders Character Timeline in Bullet in the Brain
The timeline below shows where the character Anders appears in Bullet in the Brain. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Bullet in the Brain
Anders visits a bank just before closing time and gets stuck in a line behind two...
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...tellers, despite the long line, closes her window early. The two women in front of Anders vocally disapprove and turn to Anders to solicit his commentary. Although he feels a sense...
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...tell everyone to stay silent, or they will be “dead meat.” Hearing this clichéd phrase, Anders make a sarcastic quip to the women he criticized earlier.
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...teller who closed her window says it is hers, and the robber threatens her personally. Anders, finding poetic justice in this situation, jokes with the two women that “Justice is done.”
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This comment gets one robber’s attention, and he calls Anders a “bright boy,” asking him if he told Anders to talk. When Anders makes another...
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The pistol tickles Anders, and he tries not to laugh. Instead, he looks the robber in the eyes, which...
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Anders begins to study the ceiling, which is covered in a mural depicting classical figures from...
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The robber, seeing this expression, asks Anders if he thinks the robber is “comical.” Anders answers, “No,” and the robber continues to...
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Anders, upon hearing this clichéd gangster speech, cannot stop himself from laughing. In retaliation, the robber...
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The bullet starts to travel through Anders’s brain, starting a chain of “neurotransmissions” in Anders’s mind. The narration describes scenes from his...
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The bullet continues to travel through Anders’s head. Another scene from his youth that he doesn't remember unfurls, featuring one of his...
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Finally, Anders remembers a scene from his childhood “forty years past.” In this scene, he is participating...
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...game. One of them is named Coyle, and the other is Coyle’s cousin, from Mississippi. Anders has never met Coyle’s cousin, and will “never see” him again after the game ends....
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...the best position “they is.” This mispronunciation, a consequence of the cousin’s Southern accent, startles Anders. In fact, Anders is so intrigued by the mispronunciation that he wants Coyle’s cousin to...
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Still, Anders is “elated” by the mispronunciation. He appreciates the way the those “two words” sound, relishing...
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While this memory is playing out, the bullet is still traveling through Anders’s brain, bringing him closer to his inevitable death. But Anders’s memory of his childhood baseball...
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