The Silence story
An aristocratic club member bets that a talkative acquaintance cannot stay silent for an entire year. Directed by: Boris Sagal. Story by: Rod Serling.
9 total · 2 choice · 6 major · 1 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| human life choice | choice | Mr. Tennyson sacrificed a year living without talking for money and honor, then later kept it up despite risking his love, then we learned he had sacrificed his speech permanently to win money and honor. |
| what if I were socially isolated for an extended period of time | choice | Mr. Tennyson spent a year living inside a bubble room without human contact for a year on a bet. |
| coping with an obnoxious chatterbox | major | Colonel Taylor objected to Mr. Tennyson's ceaseless chattering so much that he wagered a half million dollars simply to make the man be quiet for a year. |
| embarrassment | major | Colonel Taylor suffered a devastating humiliation when he was left with no alternative but to admit to his peers that he didn't have the half million dollars to make good on his wager with Mr. Tennyson. |
| facing financial ruin | major | Mr. Tennyson was desperate for cash as his debts exceeded his assets by a wide margin. |
| fortitude | major | Mr. Tennyson's peers at the gentleman's club were mightily impressed with this known chatterbox's resolve in not uttering a word over the span of an entire year. In a surprise twist, however, it turned out that it was not pure determination that got Mr. Tennyson through his ordeal. |
| honor | major | Colonel Taylor staked his credit and honor, and lost spectacularly. |
| romantic love | major | Mr. Tennyson's love for his wife was somewhat central to the plot. |
| love vs. material gain | minor | Mr. Tennyson was forced to decide between these two alternatives: 1) Accept Colonel Taylor's offer of a trifling sum of money and reunite with his wife straightaway, and 2) Wait several months to reunite with his wife and collect half a million dollars for the colonel. |