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The Utterly Perfect Murder Summary

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Plot:
The short story "The Utterly Perfect Murder" by Ray Bradbury tells the tale of 48-year-old Doug Spalding as he journeys into his grievances and grudges held against Ralph Underhill, his former childhood bully. The day of his forty-eighth birthday, he is struck with the idea to murder his past childhood persecutor for his transgressions and sins against him. Therefore, he abruptly makes the decision to leave in the middle of the night to travel to Green Town, Ralph's and Doug's hometown and the former's city of current residence. During his train ride, Doug flashbacks to specific incidents that remind him of his motivation and reasons behind this attempted murder, the strongest one being his realization that their friendship was one-sided. Whereas Ralph hadn't put in any effort or consideration into the …show more content…

In the present, it takes place in his bedroom and in Green Town, where Doug decides and attempts to carry out the murder, respectively. However, the other half of the setting is written in the flashbacks, where he recalls abusive events from thirty-six years ago in his hometown, Green Town, during the Great Depression. Bradbury's utilization of this literary device gives the audience insight into the murderous and insane thought process of Doug as he is on the train.

Conflict(s):
There is an internal conflict (man vs. self) in this novella within Doug as he struggles to reach a final verdict on whether or not he should murder his abusive former torturer. When he arrives at this former persecutor's house, he realizes that time has already taken the revenge for him by examining the state and conditions that to which Ralph are subject. After witnessing Ralph's current situation, he is able to ultimately make the decision not to kill his former tormentor. In the flashbacks, the external conflict (man vs. man) is displayed as Ralph physically and mentally abuses 12-year-old Doug.

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