# Fictional examples of "punished for succeeding"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001 "2024-10-20T17:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/42 "2024-10-21T23:55:32Z")
Not sure; maybe he already knew and was taking the fastest route to Asia aboard the same flight Indy was? How would he know to follow Jones in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/43 "2024-10-22T00:00:21Z")
Close but no cigar: H. G. Wells’ _In the Land of the Blind._ Not an innovation, but a capability. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/44 "2024-10-22T00:50:02Z")
Well, what about Iron Man? Nobody wants him; they just turn their heads. Nobody helps him. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/45 "2024-10-22T00:53:26Z")
The Ghostbusters saved the world, but got sued by every state, county, and city agency in New York for all the Gozer and Stay-Puft damage, and put under a judicial restraining order forbidding them from paranormal investigation and elimination. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/46 "2024-10-22T05:29:48Z")
They would have had the full info from the staff head thingy though because they would have just taken it rather than have had to rely on the burn impression on Toht’s hand. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/47 "2024-10-22T05:36:25Z")
I recall that in the Starjammer D&D setting there’s a planet dominated by mindflayers where humans are raised and educated in giant academic facilities. Unknown to the students this is because an intelligent, well educated brain tastes better to the mind flayers, and academic excellence just makes somebody into a more desirable meal. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/48 "2024-10-22T11:38:06Z")
This is basically part of the plot of _Rambo: First Blood Part II_. John Rambo is sent on a mission to see if there are any POWs left behind in Vietnam but when he actually finds some --the commanding officer refuse to rescue them and explains: Any evidence of POWs would have been ignored, as the discovery would have forced the United States to expend resources, or possibly even start another war to secure their release. Of course being Rambo he disobeys his orders and frees all the POWs himself bring him back to the base. And Rambo decides to stay in SE Asia-disillusioned with the way the US government treats its veterans. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/49 "2024-10-22T11:54:12Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > In **The Ring** - MAJOR SPOILER > > After an arduous search for the little girl / ghost entity who seems to be the cause of freaky deeky deaths, our heroine finds herself at the sight of the girl’s own death ,where she learns the girl was mistreated and thrown down the well were she languished for a week before dying. She is then laid to rest, having communicated the sad story of her life and murder. > The next morning after the ordeal, she tells her young son that everything is ok now; they got the girl out of the well and she will get a proper burial. The kid freaks out and says “You _saved_ her? You weren’t supposed to _save_ her!!!” Turns out she is now actually free to continue her ghostly shennanigans. “She _never sleeps!_” :shudder!: ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/50 "2024-10-22T15:41:06Z")
_Hot Fuzz_, Angel is relocated out of London to a tiny village because he’s making the Metropolitan Police look bad with his incredible achievements… ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/51 "2024-10-22T15:43:23Z")
She wasn’t technically punished, but Dorothy was certainly given the cold shoulder when she succeeded in bringing back the wicked witch’s broomstick. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/52 "2024-10-22T16:10:26Z")
Can’t believe I didn’t think of that one. I love that film. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/53 "2024-10-22T17:35:56Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > Dorothy was certainly given the cold shoulder when she succeeded in bringing back the wicked witch’s broomstick. That’s because no one expected her to succeed. It was a fool’s errand, the Wizard probably expected her to die, solving his problem. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/54 "2024-10-22T20:00:58Z")
_The Water Engine_ by David Mamet is a perfect example of this. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/55 "2024-10-23T19:49:51Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Can’t believe I didn’t think of that one. I love that film. It’s my sister’s favorite one in the Cornetto trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/56 "2024-10-25T01:19:07Z")
At first, DEATHTRAP seems to be going this way: the aspiring young playwright apparently has a smash hit on his hands, but hasn’t shown it to anyone who’d vouch for him having done so — or left any copies behind for anyone to find — and it becomes increasingly obvious that an opportunist with the right showbiz connections could pass off that masterpiece as their own. The twist is, yep, that’s what happens. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/57 "2024-10-26T21:15:41Z")
In _Children of Heaven,_ Ali has lost his sister’s shoes and their family can’t afford new ones, so enters a race with the a pair of sneakers is the third prize. Ali wins the race, and is devastated because he didn’t win the shoes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/58 "2024-10-27T03:42:47Z")
Brian De Palma’s rock musical comedy horror film, [PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_the_Paradise) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2024, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/59 "2024-10-27T09:20:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In _Children of Heaven,_ Ali has lost his sister’s shoes and their family can’t afford new ones, so enters a race with the a pair of sneakers is the third prize. Ali wins the race, and is devastated because he didn’t win the shoes. The same thing happened to Little Dog on _2 Stupid Dogs_ when he appeared on _The Price is Right_. He kept inadvertently winning fabulous prizes when he just wanted the consolation prize of a box of doggie treats. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2024, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/60 "2024-10-27T09:37:35Z")
Miles Vorkosigan in his first military posting successfully prevented his crazy commander from massacring his own men, but for complicated political/plot reasons it forced him to give up his planned military career (and is why he ended up the the intelligence service instead). In an earlier near miss he didn’t realize until it was _almost_ too late that by his semi-accidental takeover/creation of the Dendarii Mercenaries he’d violated a law about Vor having private armies that carried the death penalty. In the Niven story _Converging Series_ the protagonist successfully summons a demon (not really believing it will work) and discovers that by doing so he’s automatically damned himself. In Mercedes Lackey’s Bardic Voices books one of the protagonists is severely beaten and her instrument destroyed when she wins a music contest and reveals her gender (they _don’t_ like female musicians). ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/61 "2024-10-27T09:48:25Z")
This is probably the opposite of the OP’s stipulation, but thought it worth mentioning anyway… In the novel of _You Only Live Twice_, James Bond, hero of the British Secret Service, brainwashed by the Soviets, attempts and fails to assassinate his boss M. Definitely not a success, either from the British or Soviet perspective. But M, somewhelat perversely, promotes him to a more ambassadorial role, above his usual Double-O status, and sends him off on a diplomatic mission to Japan. From Bond’s point of view this is not a promotion however and feels more like a punishment, since he enjoys the thrilling danger and unpredictability of his usual occupation. Little does he know that he is about to be thrust into another adventure though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001.md?page=4)