# Fictional examples of "punished for succeeding"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001>\
**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:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**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, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/62 "2024-10-27T13:29:21Z")

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In WATCHMEN, a retired superhero reminisces about his schoolboy days: _“I was already exceptionally bright, my perfect scores on early test papers arousing such suspicion that I carefully achieved only average grades thereafter.”_ As a teen, secret identy then ensued.

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/63 "2024-10-27T18:03:14Z")

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> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> 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.

_Convergent_.

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**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/64 "2024-10-27T18:50:00Z")

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_The Last Starfighter_ got really good at an arcade game only to be rewarded with conscription into an army.

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