Why Did The Killers Want To Kill Ole Anderson In The Essay "The Killers"� By Ernest Hemingway?

The story points out a very funny and ridiculous aspect of western society. It shows that crimes are committed often without any genuine reason. Al and Max wanted to kill Ole Anderson only to oblige a friend. They had not even seen their possible victim. They knew very little about him except that he was a usual visitor at Henry's lunch room. They came there with their weapons to shoot him. Luckily for Ole Anderson, he did not turn up at the restaurant and escaped murder.

When Nick told Ole Anderson about the murderers who were after him, he did not show any reaction. He seemed to know all about it already. Probably he was involved in something wicked in Chicago. He might have annoyed somebody. But, now, he seemed to be tired of running away from death.The story exposes moral hollowness and indifference to human life. Killing a man is something very easy and ordinary. The killers seem to be free from any moral values and have no respect for human life.

Ole Anderson does not show any anxiety or fear when he is informed about a possible attack on him. He does not take any measures to defend himself. He seems to be ready to accept his fate. It shows that if we accept the realities of life, all our fears and tensions disappear.