
In the first paragraph of Tobias Wolff's work Bullet in the Brain the main character, Anders, is introduced as an individual who isn’t portrayed as the nicest of people. This negative portrayal of Anders sets up the story's plot and informs readers of the critical and irritable personality that Wolff intended Anders to have. The disrespectful word choice and actions Wolff uses for Anders depict the undesirable character Wolff wanted him to be; it is these traits that ultimately caused tragedy later in Anders’ life. Therefore, Wolff’s project was to show how possessing and acting upon unfavorable traits would cause tragedy in one’s life. Wolff then uses such a strong emphasis on the memories Anders did and did not remember in his last seconds to represent the regret Anders felt looking back at the way he lived his life. In order to prove that this idea is in fact Wolff’s project, one focal point will be the analyzation of the key words and concepts in the story. 

Wolff wrote the story with an emphasis on how Anders is judgmental of others and has a hot headed nature. In fact, within just the first paragraph Wolff writes Anders to be someone who "was never in the best of tempers" and as "a book critic know for the weary, elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed" (Wolff 200). These traits that are introduced so quickly play a key part in the story line. The aim of the author was to show how possessing and acting upon these unfavorable traits would cause tragedy in one’s life. Wolff uses Anders as an example of an irritable individual who unapologetically acted upon his natural tendencies and paid for it in the end with his life. Anders "burst out laughing" after being confronted by the robber and went on to criticize the robber’s choice of words (Wolff 203). It was this final encounter that led to Anders getting shot. Using such a dramatic scene Wolff hammered in the project he was trying to get across to readers. 

The project of Wolff's story was to show how being a critical, ignorant person leads to misfortune is valuable as it stresses the importance of positive interactions, acknowledging that every person is different, and that being understanding rather than judgmental is a quality trait. Anders attitude towards the decision of others was always negative. For example, when Wolff wrote "he got stuck behind two women whose loud, stupid conversation put him in a murderous temper" (Wolff 200) and also during the multiple times he judged the robber’s choice of words. Wolff's use of these piece of the story helps shape the fact that his project can be used as a life lesson. However, while the story does have strong meaning any reader must consider that it is a fictional story. Being fictional, Wolff had the ability to write the story anyway he desired and therefore was able to get his message across by depicting an outlandish situation. Even though it is important to be understanding of others, in real life a comment about someone's decisions would, in most scenarios, not end in such tragedy.   

After the death of Anders there is a transition from showing how his actions led him to the fate he received, to what he remembered in his moments before death. One key concept of Bullet in the Brain is Anders final memories. After the bullet began its journey through Anders head his mind had just enough time to recreate a moment from his childhood, a neighborhood pickup baseball game where a friend had brought their cousin who wanted to play shortstop. During his last moments alive rather than remembering what most would consider to be more significant moments in his life such as his first love, his ex-wife, the actions of his daughter, or watching a suicide happen in front of him he remembers a simple moment from his childhood. The events in Anders life he didn’t remember upon dying are typically the type of moments that would shape one’s life or be seen as the happiest memories the individuals have; therefore, it is strange that rather than reflecting on these moments his brains final action was to bring Anders back to a childhood pickup game.  The sole words Anders remembers in the event is the boy saying "'Shortstop, Short's the best position they is" (Wolff 205). This quote really stands out because rather than feeling a need to correct the boy on his grammar, as Anders usually would given how Wolff depicted him in the story, he is "strangely roused" (Wolff 206) by the final two words. It was a moment when he felt intrigued by one of his greatest pet peeves. The concept of what Anders did and did not remember is a crucial piece of this story as it symbolizes Anders regret of being such a critical individual and how he wishes he had lived the entirety of his life in the same nature he did on the baseball diamond that day. Considering this, it can be better understood why this remembrance occurred rather than what most people would consider to be the more significant life altering memories. 

The first memory that Wolff states Anders didn't remember is his first love, Sherry. Wolff continues on to discuss why Anders was initially so in love with Sherry which was "her unembarrassed carnality, and especially the cordial way she had with his unit" (Wolff 204). People always say your first love sticks to you like no one else and therefore many people’s first love may be a defining factor in their life. When Wolff depicts Sherry’s personality in the quote above he states that it is what Anders “madly love about her” (Wolff 204). Considering the effect someone’s first lover who they were madly in love with can have on an individual in terms of emotional and relationship development it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a first lover to be someone’s final memory before death. This holds significance because it shows how powerful the symbolism is behind the memory of the baseball diamond and how in Anders last moments his conscious took him to a moment where he regretting the actions of his life rather than something that defined who he became. During the description of Anders first lover it must also be noted that the reason he fell so madly in love with Sherry was also what began to irritate him about her. Therefore, this concept provides another example of Anders critical nature and simultaneously shows how the symbolism of the baseball memory is stronger than that of his other life memories.  

Another important aspect Anders didn't remember as he was dying was his family. Wolff begins discussing family as he writes "Anders didn't remember his wife, whom he had also loved before she exhausted him with her predictability" (Wolff 204). The fact that Anders got tired of his wife simply because of her predictable actions further depicts his unfavorable personality traits as this is yet another example of him having a pessimistic outlook on the world around him.

Another family memory forgotten in Anders final moments was that of his daughter and a time where he listened to her "lecture her bear about naughtiness" (Wolff 204). It’s often heard that parents say how the small memories of their children or being with family is what they hold most dearly. Just like the memory of a first love, it would make sense for one to recall a time spent with family as well. Wolff’s inclusion of the family oriented memories are important as the idea that that family is the most important thing in anyone's life is widely accepted in society. Therefore, the fact that a simple phrase during a pickup baseball game was remembered over family shows how significant the regret Anders had about his actions during his life was.

Anders also has memories that are dark and somewhat traumatic. Wolff writes about Anders memories of "his dying mother saying of his father, 'I should have stabbed him in his sleep'", "seeing a women leap to her death", and "deliberately crashing his father's car into a tree" (Wolff 204-205). When examining these three quotes, it’s easy to see how these memories are all related to death be it murder, watching someone die, or attempted suicide, all of which give these quotes their negative connotation. These ominous memories could just as easily be remembered by any individual at the time of death as the happier memories as dark and scary memories such as these often times leave those who go through them scarred. These disturbing memories also play a major role in helping convey the purpose and most likely work to create the personality Anders was given by Wolff. In other words, Wolff's edition of the more sinister events is his way of letting the reader know why Anders acts the way he does. 

The time on the baseball diamond contained nothing but a sentence full of grammatical error so why would Wolff make this Anders last memory? Based on the lesson Wolff intended to teach, or in other words the project of the story, the only logical explanation to this question is that he wanted to emphasize the regret Anders felt towards the way he lived his life. The entirety of the book, from Anders thoughts and actions in real time to the memories he had, stressed Anders possession of such heavy judgmental features. Yet his final memory was the sole time readers saw him not angry or annoyed by the actions of others. Wolff set up the story and Anders character in a light that caused readers to view him a certain way; however, the moment on the baseball diamond being the only time his character was not written in that light helps to emphasize the point he is trying to make. Wolff's use of the baseball diamond memory was intended to show readers that constant outwards negativity will not only not bode well for an individual but it will also lead to a life filled with regret.  
