Bubble Bath No. 3 Analysis

David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam, is a serial killer who is well known for terrorizing young couples of New York. He began his series of shootings in the summer of 1976, and by July 1977 he had killed six victims and wounded seven others. Berkowitz followed a way of doing things, also known as a modus operandi (M.O.), by leaving bizarre letters at crime scenes which mocked the police and promised further crimes. His M.O. was what eventually led to him being captured and convicted of his crimes. The story of Berkowitz proves following the same method of doing things can lead to trouble. This concept is emphasized in the story “Bubble Bath No. 3” by Margery Allingham. In this story, a man follows a M.O. for killing his victims, and this is what leads to him getting caught. This story revolves around the ideas only following a certain set of methods can be dangerous, and being suspicious in some situations can be safest.
One big theme this story emphasizes is feeling too safe in a situation is dangerous because it may not be as secure as someone may think. This idea is emphasized by the character Ronald Torbay, who decides he is going to kill his wife. He killed his two previous wives, but after four years and a newly invented name and background, Robert …show more content…
This story shows feeling too safe in a situation is dangerous because it may not be as secure as someone thought. It also presents the idea of following the same pattern being risky because it may lead to getting caught. Lastly, it shows being suspicious can be important because in certain situations it can save someone. These themes can be applied to the real world as well. For example, a woman walking home alone late at night needs to be suspicious and never feel too safe, because there are people in the world who are looking to do bad things to others, and being oblivious can make someone a prime