"The Curse" by Andre Dubus: Characters

Andre Dubus (1936-1999) describes his characters in the short story “The Curse” in great detail. In this story, Dubus describes ten separate characters and helps the readers depict them in their minds very easily. Mitchell Hayes is the main character, Bob the bar owner, Smitty and Dave the cops, the five biker/punk guys, the female victim, Susan – Mitchell’s wife, Marty and Joyce – Mitchell’s step-children, customers, and Reggie – the bar regular; are all in the short story to give it depth in just a few short pages. Every motion the characters make, feelings that the characters feel, and visual descriptions all contribute to total affect of the story.
Dubus is very descriptive about the actions the characters make; his detail encompasses the general to the specific. Mitchell, the main character, explaines how he tries to dial emergency 911 but can not due to the restraint of the biker guys. He explains how the bikers take turns in committing the crime and help hold...