The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone story
Author Dudley Stone is approached by a rival who announces his intention to kill him... a fate that doesn't quite bother Stone one bit. Directed by: David Copeland. Story by: Ray Bradbury.
21 total · 1 choice · 6 major · 14 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| coping with being washed up | choice | The point of the story is to feature two authors, Dudley and John, that, at different points in time, found themselves just sufficiently past the apogee of their respective careers that the monotonous and inevitable decline ahead of them had become apparent. Each was hounded by a younger up-and-coming rival. Dudley escaped this fate by letting John "kill" his author persona, thus exiting the writing profession while at the pinnacle of his fame. The story ends with John desperately looking for his own way out. |
| attitude of superiority | major | When accused of being unnaturally gifted by Dudley, John simply agreed. He referred to genes and genetics as a probable cause for his undoubted superiority. Twenty years later, John was himself both very successful and rather smug. |
| creative writing | major | The story concerns two authors, Dudley and John, who are worried about being surpassed by younger rivals. In the introduction, Ray Bradbury shared with the viewer the wellsprings of creativity that inspire his writing. |
| family vs. career | major | Dudley quit writing while he was at the peak of his fame and ability. He thereafter notably spent time in the company of his family. In the end, he elected enjoy family life over resuming his taxing career as an author. |
| jealousy | major | John, who saw himself as someone who had to work hard for everything yet got no recognition for it, sought to murder Dudley, whom he thought was unnaturally talented in too many subjects of a wide variety. |
| murder | major | John planned to shoot Dudley dead with a pistol. He was instead persuaded to help in the figurative "assassination" of Dudley's writer persona to which the title of this story jokingly alludes. The act was referred to as a murder throughout the rest of the story and Dudley evidently disappeared from public view, leaving his fans to speculate in what gruesome way he might have perished. |
| the desire for fame | major | John was envious of Dudley's fame and wanted to murder him in order to clear the way for himself to get some recognition. |
| academic occupation | minor | Dudley, a true Renaissance Man, was accused by John of writing too many lectures on city planning, transportation, and architecture, among many other things. |
| father and daughter | minor | Dudley was seen with his kids, whom he wanted to spend more time with. |
| father and son | minor | Dudley was seen with his kids, whom he wanted to spend more time with. |