In Praise of Pip story
A bookie receives news that his son Pip has been seriously wounded in combat. He soon gets the chance to not only see his son one last time but also to save him. Directed by: Joseph M. Newman. Story by: Rod Serling.
13 total · 3 choice · 3 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| father and son | choice | Max and Pip. |
| remorse | choice | Max regretted his near-constant absence from his son's life. |
| second guessing one's self | choice | Max regretted his life. |
| absentee father | major | We understand that Max regretted having been a mostly absent father to his son Pip. |
| coping with a loved one being in peril | major | Max was devastated when he learned that his son had been gravely wounded in Vietnam. |
| human self-sacrifice for another | major | Max went against his boss and ultimately gave his life to save the boy who had so ill-advisedly gambled with someone else's money. Max also asked the Lord to exchange his life for his son's. |
| alcohol abuse | minor | Max's landlady commented caustically on his drinking. |
| duty vs. compassion | minor | Max felt compassion for the young gambler and handed him back the $300, thus betraying Max's own boss. |
| gambling | minor | We saw a young man who gambled with his employer's money and lost. |
| human self improvement | minor | Max swore time and again that he was going to change his wicked ways, straighten up and all that. |