“The Killers” is set in Summit, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) in the 1920s. At the time, Chicago was known as the seat of organized crime, with local criminals like Al Capone gaining notoriety for the illegal distribution of alcohol during the Prohibition. In the story, Max and Al represent the sort of Chicago gangsters that people in suburban Illinois feared coming into their neighborhoods. At one point in the story, the hitmen ask George if he has any alcoholic drinks, hinting that they are very comfortable with publicly breaking the laws of Prohibition. This, combined with the men’s attire and specific speaking style, tip George and Nick off to the fact that they are likely visiting from Chicago and may be dangerous.
Another important element of the setting is the fact that professional boxing and crime syndicates (like Capone’s Chicago Outfit) were deeply enmeshed. For example, it was common for crime outlets to manipulate fighters into fixing a match for them. Hemingway implies in the story that the hitmen are targeting the prizefighter Ole Andreson because he “double-crossed” someone. Though readers never learn exactly what he did, Hemingway intentionally names Ole Andreson after Andre Anderson, a real-life Swedish boxer who was killed by mobsters after he refused to take further bribes from organized crime gamblers. While many people viewed mobsters and boxers as prime examples of masculinity and power, Hemingway undercuts this idea in the story by depicting Ole Andreson as depressed and avoidant and his criminal hitmen as ineffective and squirrely, thereby stripping gangsters and fighters alike of some of their mythological power.
