What is The Repeating Shot?

The shot that the General repeatedly hears symbolizes the endless impact he has had on fellow lives. In his limbo-like comatose state, the General is surprised to hear this particular shot forever “of all his bullets fired, of all his endless wars…the one shot he did not fire is the one that now keeps firing” (27). This shot was the one fired by his own son who accidentally shot himself dead outside of their house with his father’s gun decades before the General entered “Limbo.” Though the General is responsible for the deaths of hundreds, the most pain he experiences is associated with this particular shot because it symbolizes the impact his actions have had on himself.