By the Numbers story
A man reminisces about his childhood and his drill sergeant father. Directed by: Wayne Tourell. Story by: Ray Bradbury.
8 total · 2 choice · 4 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| dysfunctional upbringing | choice | The story concerns a father who pushed his son to an insane degree by acting like a army drill sergeant. |
| father and son | choice | The story concerns a father who pushed his son to an insane degree by acting like a army drill sergeant. |
| child abuse | major | In the context of the story it's not clear whether the unorthodox behavior of the father was considered child abuse of the criminal kind, but it is arguable. |
| childhood trauma | major | In the story, a man recollected how his disciplinarian father raised him as if he were a military cadet. Later in life, the man struggled with the effects of this harsh upbringing. |
| creative writing | major | The story concerns a writer who was seeking inspiration for his next novel. In the introduction, Ray Bradbury shared with the viewer the wellsprings of creativity that inspire his writing. |
| ironic twist of fate | major | The abusive father told his son not to move a muscle then, through an ironic twist of fate, stumbled on a towel and drowned in the pool in front of his son who didn't dare move a muscle to aid. |
| patricide | minor | It was suggested that the son might grow up to murder his abusive father. In the event, said father perished by misadventure instead. |
| the nature of creativity | minor | In his introduction, Ray Bradbury gave his viewers an intimate window into his writing room, and some of the self-professed sources of creativity that lay about within it. |