Literary Analysis #1

Kill Shot by Vince Flynn

1. The story begins with Mitch Rapp, a CIA assassin, sneaking his way into his target's hotel room in Paris, France. The target is Libya's oil minister. Just as he fires the first bullet, it is actually a trap. Men flood the room bullets flying and he escapes after killing 9 including the original target. Wounded and near death, he finds safety in an empty warehouse. In the morning the bodies are found and Washington looks where to point the finger at the CIA which would cause an international crisis. Rapp's handlers now must deny any accusation and hope he doesn't get caught, even if that means killing him to ensure he isn't captured by French authorities.



2. A theme of the novel is the value of life. CIA assassins are so used to killing. It doesn't really affect them the way it affects other people because that's what they are trained to do. They see some lives so important that it makes them much more important than the lives of others. Just because a person has done some illegal things, that makes them a target that needs to be dealt with.

3. The author's tone is much like that of an action or suspenseful movie. "As Rapp began to drop, he saw the distinct black barrel of a sub-machine gun..." "He'd visited the room only once, and was so aggravated by all the do-gooders who walked by with their condemning looks that he swore he'd never do it again." "He frowned at that last part. He couldn't do it. It would make him no better than all the ego maniacal, opportunistic politicians who were constantly taking shots at the CIA."

4. 1. Foreshadowing: on page 20 he leads into the events of chapter 2 by leaving a cliff hanger. Just as the chapter ends and Rapp kills his target, he sees feet outside the door and just as the chapter ends, the door bursts open. Obviously something is about to happen so it makes the reader keep reading to find out what happens.
2. Audience Omniscience: After a major event happens in the book, the author tells it from both points of view so the reader has a better understanding of the people behind the events. In chapter 2, the author tells the buildup to the events that happened at the end of chapter 1. He gives both point of views so that the characters seem more well rounded, and more like normal people.
3.Characterization: At the beginning the other describes Rapp and a couple other main characters. It brings them more to life.
4. Conflict: Events in the story affect the way Rapp develops throughout. Getting shot and knowing that another operative is on his trail changes how he must think because he has to think on his feet, in chapter 4 to evade capture. He must change the way he does things in order to survive so there is an internal struggle.
5. Connotation: The use and meaning of the word 'target' connotates something more than just say the paper target people shoot for practice. It means a person that has done something evil and needs to be disposed of, and it is used throughout the book.
6. Prologue: At the very beginning, the author has a chapter dedicated to getting the reader up to speed from the end of the previous book to the beginning of this one. It helps the reader to not feel like they are joining the conversation of the story midway, but knowing how everything started and possible conflicts in the future. It fills them in.
7. Foil: Contrary to Mitch Rapp, there is a fellow operative Stan Hurley who is basically out to get him. He is just as dangerous, but doesn't trust him to not get caught when he runs into trouble in France so he feels he must take care of Rapp himself.
8.Hubris: Stan Hurley is a hybris because he doesn't care that Mitch is a fellow operative who needs help, he uses his power over people to get him the resources he needs to track him down and find him. He is arrogant because he doesn't trust in his colleague and believes he could have done much better, when in fact he would be in the same situation.
9. Metaphor: When Rapp gets shot in the beginning, it serves a larger purpose than a physical ailment. Its one of the affects of his line of work. Everyone carries a burden as a result of their way of life. Psychologists have emotional burden of the patients, people in the military have the burden of being in a dangerous place, etc. When he gets shot, it humbles him and reminds him that he is human.
10. Personification: "The river was dead." when Mitch escapes the hotel, he goes into a nearby river to escape. It was extremely cold in the middle of the night in chapter 4. It was deathly cold and would cause him to nearly die himself.
Characterization
1. Two examples of direct characterization are "Hurley, the hard assed spook and trainer..." and "Thomas Stansfield was accustomed to working Saturdays." Two examples of indirect characterization are, "Thomas Stansfield is not to be taken lightly." and "And remember... no matter how much he tries to bully us..." The author uses a lot more indirect characterization so it leaves more to the imagination. Using both approaches gives readers enough hard evidence to make assumptions that fill in the indirect characterization.

2. When the author focuses on a character, he uses diction. The author uses words and phrases to convey meanings. The dialogue sounds like a normal conversation and it depicts them as normal people with extraordinary abilities. An example is the quick witted conversations between Rapp and his partner Irene in the states. They have a quick little session of banters when they communicate because they have to keep things short and distinct when on the phone.

3. The protagonist is static because his training is so deeply embedded into who he is, that the events he experiences aren't going to change that. No matter what happens he will still be the strong minded clever individual he is. He is round because he has a few different personalities. He is a smart ass, yet knows how to be serious. He knows how to persuade people to get what he wants but doesn't abuse his power.

4. I do feel like I come away from the book having met the main character. I was able to use textual examples and indirect characterization to give myself a good idea of who he is and where he comes from when something happens. He came to life when his old fling who is also his partner called him, she wasn't supposed to, but she wanted to make sure he was OK. He was so happy to later on see her and that shows me that even if he is a remarkable secret agent he is still a normal guy deep down.