Insomnia story
Charles Cavender suffers from insomnia, caused by his fear of his brother-in- law, Jack Fletcher. Charles' wife was killed in a house fire and her brother, Jack, believes that Charles let her die. Charles confronts Jack at his apartment and, after a struggle, Jack is killed. That night Charles sleeps peacefully, and does not wake up when his heater catches aflame and burns his apartment building down. Directed by: John Brahm. Story by: Henry Slesar.
18 total · 9 major · 9 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| brother-in-law and brother-in-law | major | Charles was worried to death that his brother-in-law Jack was out to get him. |
| coping with the death of a family member | major | Charles mourned his sister Linda, who'd perished in a house fire. |
| coping with the death of a spouse | major | A somewhat surprised with himself Charles stated that he was able to "sleep alright after the fire" which took the life of his wife. |
| cowardice | major | Jack considered Charles to be a coward for leaving Linda behind to die in the house fire. In particular, Jack took a jab at Charles by sarcastically asking him whether he'd been awarded "any decorations for bravery" in the Second World War. Moreover, Charles himself might have felt like he was a coward for leaving his wife behind to die in the house fire, thus the survivor guilt. |
| ironic twist of fate | major | Charles, who may have left his wife to died in a house fire, ultimately perished in a house fire himself. |
| placing blame | major | Jack held Charles responsible for Jack's sister (Charles' wife) perishing in a house fire. According to Charles there was nothing he could do to save her. |
| sleep deprivation | major | Charles was suffering from insomnia because he was haunted by the suspicion that his brother-in-law, Jack, was out to kill him. |
| survivor guilt | major | Doctor Tebaldi speculated that Charles was having trouble sleeping on account that he'd survived a house fire that's left his wife dead - a charge that Charles flat out denied. |
| the desire for vengeance | major | Charles was convinced that his brother-in-law Jack was out to make him pay for not having tried harder to save Jack's sister (Charles' wife) from perishing in a house fire. |
| boss and employee | minor | Mr. Turney fired Charles for being ill. |