Did a Murder actually take place in “The Utterly Perfect Murder”?
By. Ava Lemon
People can be murdered in many ways. Though most people are murdered literally, some can be murdered figuratively just like in “The Utterly Perfect Murder”. Although Doug did not literally murder Ralph, a figurative murder did take place.
In the 1960s, on his 48th Birthday Doug Spalding (protagonist) woke up with a strange decision to take revenge on his former friend Ralph Underhill (antagonist). Doug decided to follow through with this revenge plot, he packed his bag, said goodbye to his wife, and started his journey. When Doug boards the train he starts having flashbacks to his childhood, these flashbacks show how mean Ralph was to Doug. Ralph would beat him up until his arms were completely covered in bruises. When Doug came to school in a new suit, Ralph pushed him down and rolled him in the mud until his suit was ruined. The memory that Doug dwelled on the most though, was that he would go and throw rocks at Ralph’s window so he would come out and play. However, Ralph never came to Doug’s window to do the same. The memories that Doug has of his childhood helps the author portray Doug’s motive to kill Ralph.
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When Doug gets to his childhood town called Greentown, he decides he wants to wait until nighttime to murder Ralph. When Doug gets to Ralph’s front step to murder him, he discovers that Ralph is now a sad, low-life, nobody, little old man. Because of this shocking twist in the story, the author presents another conflict to us. Should Doug kill Ralph or should he just leave him alone, since Doug is now better than him? Even though Doug brought the gun, he decided not to use it. Instead, he whispered “bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang”, 6 shots. However, Ralph did not literally drop down dead but to Doug, Ralph was
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In the story, “The Utterly Perfect Murder,” it states, “Not to pull out the weapon. Not to kill. . . . But simply- To see Ralph Underhill as he is in this hour. That’s all” (Bradbury 24). This quote supports my claim because, Doug realizes that he just wanted to forgive Ralph, and that although he was hurt, he had grown mentally and didn’t want to harm Ralph Underhill. So, even after the years he had to dwell on his past, about Ralph, he still was able to let it go, and become the better person by not acting out his childish needs for revenge. That shows that he had grown mentally and unlike Ralph he had
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Murder at the Margin is a murder mystery involving various economic concepts. The story takes place in Cinnamon Bay Plantation on the Virgin Island of St. John. It is about Professor Henry Spearman, an economist from Harvard. Spearman organizes an investigation of his own using economic laws to solve the case.
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A flicker of light caught Ralph’s eye, but he ignored it. Somewhere deep in his mind, though, he sensed something familiar. A feeling of fear enveloped him and sent chills down his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut, and began rubbing the sides of his he...
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...vidence of showing mens rea. The terms mens rea means guilty act, and if there is no proof to show that mens rea is displayed in this case, then the arrest should not continue. Neither of the men committed a guilty act of murder. Vaillancourt was not found guilty and the court decided that the accused was not liable for the death of the victim. Only conviction that should have been made was break and enter for both men. No murder was intended.
Ralph is the main character of the story; he is a twelve year old boy and is one...
The major theme of Andre Dubus’ Killing,s is how far someone would go for the person they love. It is important to note the title of the story is killings and not killers, for the reasoning that the story does not just focus on two deaths or two murderers but rather the death of marriage, friendship, youth, and overall, trust.
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At the commencement of the novel, the author introduces Ralph as an innocent boy far from adulthood. Almost immediately, Ralph is described as a "fair boy." This phrase indicates a stereotype of the perfect child--blonde hair and blue eyes with blemish-free skin--which the author manipulated to show innocence. Also, Golding used this to give the reader a feeling of Ralph's position on the scale of maturation. It guides the destination of the novel and how much Ralph needs to grow to attain complete maturity. Ralph's innocence is further implied when he says his daddy is "a commander in the Navy" and that "when he gets leave, he'll come rescue us." Clearly, Ralph's comments call attention to his inability to view matters, especially his current situation, realistically, and to show Ralph's simplistic thinking, as well. Later in the novel, Ralph views Piggy as a fat bore with "ass-mar" and "matter-of-fact ideas." Ralph is still at the point where he believes that he is on a schoolyard playground where teasing and handstands are an acceptable practice. Similarly, Ralph's thoughts are intended to show what a sheltered child he has been all his life. Thus far, Golding developed Ralph so that the reader interprets him as an ideal child without any indication of maturity. The author will build upon this to transform Ralph as a character and as a person.
Could you imagine going to your fishing job, throwing out the net for an hour, pulling the net in, and finding a dead body? Yikes. On July 28, 1996 men on a fishing boat in England did just that. The male dead body had nothing in his pockets. He had an unidentifiable tattoo on the back of his hand and a Rolex watch on his wrist. The man had several injuries that included a deep gash on the back of his head. The police thought that it could have happened from when the man was pulled out of the water. The Rolex was a big help to find out who the man was. It was traced to a man named Ronald Joseph Platt. The police had assumed that the man had fallen overboard and had drowned (Real Crime).
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