On the other side of a bullet 

The purpose of this website is to break down the meaning of the short story Bullet by Kim Church. We will be taking out key quotes of the story to justify the overall meaning.

The bullet by Kim Church is about a women who discusses her traumatic encounters and people in her life that were accompanied by bullets. Bullets play a significant role in the main characters life. She mentioned that her abusive husband wore a "bullet on a chain around his neck". We can assume every abusive encounter she had with him, he wore that neckalce,. Her abusive husband wearing a bullet necklace solidifies the violent symbolism. She also mentioned a man who robbed the store she was working in and threatened her using a bullet. These two men brought fear and violence into her life, accompanied by a bullet, yet she overcomes and survives these unfortunate events. She states, Here’s what I learned from marriage: I am not brave. I never will be. But I am patient, and I can outlast anyone" and "One day my robber will die. Maybe some gung-ho store clerk will shoot him when he reaches in his pocket. Yes, I will say. I’ll be tender, because I can afford to be". These are really strong statements. Kim knows that she abusers will pay for what they did and she has peace knowing this.

Bullets usually have a bad connotation however I believe the overall message is that bullets can bullets can symbolize strength and perseverance for Kim. She mentions that she is not brave but I disagree with that statement. After getting robbed she stated that she would like to have the bullet back when the police are done using it as evidence. She states, she would like to the bullet  "with the other one, and Put it in my jewelry box, where I can look at it from time to time.” Most people wouldn't want anything to do with a bullet that they were robbed with. However, to have the bullet is a great reminder of what she survived and overcame.