First PLN Post: "The Utterly Perfect Murder"

"It was such an utterly perfect, such an incredibly delightful idea for murder, that I was half out of my mind all across America." That is the lead for the short story by Ray Bradbury, The Utterly Perfect Murder, which I am going to share my thoughts on. I chose this short story because everybody that is probably reading this is in my class, and have all read this short story, and because I haven't gotten very far on my independent reading book yet.

This short story takes place with a forty-eight year old man that randomly decides to kill a childhood bully. Let's stop it right there... He wants to kill someone who bullied him in grade school? Now, right here, I decided that this guy in completely insane. Why don't we incorporate one of Mrs. Lee's example questions right here (I'll put her questions in green from now on). Has it changed my thinking/perspective? Yes. I have decided that this guy has a lot of years in the mental institute ahead of him.

But anyway, in the next couple pages, he packs up, gets on a train, talks to himself a lot, and thinks about all the memories that he had of Ralph Underhill (a.k.a. the bully). His wife doesn't even care that her strange husband is going on a random journey in the middle of the night to possibly commit a crime. But you're probably wondering: "Matt, what did Ralph Underhill do the main character (because we don't know his name yet) to make him do this in the first place?" I'm glad you asked, because here is a list that tells all about what Ralph did.

• Knocked him down in snow and mud with a new suit
• Traded a Tarzan Clay Statue for a baseball mit (harsh)
• Never came to his house on fourth of Julys.

Now that's all that he described in the short story so far, but would you really come halfway across the country to kill somebody that did that to him 36 years ago? I don't know about you, but I think Ralph rolled him in the snow a little too many times.

When he finally got there, he hid his briefcase and prepared his pistol, and approached Ralph's house. When he rung the doorbell, and Ralph answered...

Did you know the main character's name is Doug?

Anyway, he did not take out his pistol. He did not shoot Ralph Underhill. Doug saw that Ralph was small, sick, weak. Helpless. And he knew now why he had come. Not to murder his childhood bully. But to see what he has become. What is intriguing or fascinating? He didn't need to take revenge, for Ralph has himself. He suddenly said, "Doug?-" Doug didn't expect for him to remember.

"Bang. Six shots through the heart. But I didn't use the pistol. I only whispered the sound of the shots with my mouth. With each whisper, Ralph Underhill's face aged another ten years. By the time I reached the last shot, he was one hundred and ten years old."

And after that, he just picked up his briefcase and walked away, while Ralph was calling, "Doug! Is that you? Answer me!" What passages, quotes, facts, statistics, etc. strike me? This whole situation kind of strikes me. At first I thought this guy was a total whack-job, but he just did something he had to. To face his fear, and "to see him and all he is in this hour. That's all." I think that this was something he had to do.

This was a pretty cool short story. I was a little "iffy" at first but turned out to come to a dramatic conclusion that had a pretty strong impact, even for the short story it is. Am I thinking “outside the box?” I think I am. I am thinking of things that might not even relate to the story, might not even relate to the character. I am coming to strong conclusions that are not mentioned in the story, but for something I had to figure out myself. 

This blog was a little longer than I imagined but thanks for reading anyway. Please comment!

- Matt