The Brain Drawing the Bullet-Identity
In the Brain Drawing the Bullet , identity is explored as the narrator slowly transitions from himself, into the person he has been writing and obsessing about. The story initially is vague and mysterious regarding the character’s identity. No one receives a full name, people are referred to as G,L, and K. Although certain character’s identities are revealed before and throughout the story, they are still referred to by their letter name. This ambiguity in self, allows their identities to be more fluid. Although we know that B is William Burrough, he is consistently referred to as B, which allows the reader to more easily transition between L and B as the narrator (who signs his letters as L) transforms into b.
The merging of their identities is also apparent in the textual changes that occur after you click the hyperlink to the next passage. As you continue reading, previous passages transform, where entire lines are reformed to have different meanings. They change to represents changes in the way the narrator thinks and acts, the new lines reflect his increasingly unstable character and loss of identity as an editor, as well as his growing fixation on B. Instead his infatuations become apparent and his glorification of B grows. The line “the blame is shared” appears three times, after “repetition is intentional” is also repeated three times from lines in letters about the book written on B. As he increasingly idolizes B, he begins to change how he writes about the crime. Instead of remaining impartial or passing judgement on the man who shot his wife, he begins to strongly defend him. Changing the lines to the blame is shared, because he feels that although it was B who was drinking, picked up the game, and “accidentally” shot his wife it’s not really B’s fault alone. The narrator writes “Criticism of myself I can shoulder nobly, but the implied criticism of B. I will not, and would like to publish a response,”(Trotter).
The largest aspect of merging identity is subtle until the last day of letters, and although before this there is foreshadowing, readers do not truly understand, but when L commits the same crime down to the placement of the bullet we are able to understand. Throughout the passage, L’s loss of identity and obsession with B have festered into a dangerous mix. L became defined by the very story he wrote about, and in an attempt to truly glorify B and complete his transition into a B, L draws a mark in eyeliner “4.5mm to the left of the midline of her forehead,” of a female and kills her, (Trotter). Although readers previously felt his loss of self and inner turmoil, it clarified many of the preceding events. As the narrator writes, we see his sense of identity become tied to B’s as the story progresses. Ultimately, he is so far removed from himself, he commits a crime that he previously said was gross because of all of the blood. His growth and transition are characterized by severe instability and irritability as well as a stark obsession with B and making his story public. This is seen in his harassment of L over lack of book sales and advertisement of the book as well as his frustration with people who did not appreciate the story of Joan’s death and B’s crime.
