The Dude Testament

19. That’s just the stress talking.

Moments after telling Maude’s limo driver that he “can’t be worried about that shit, life goes on,” life does, in fact, go on and provides new shit to worry about. Dropped off at his house by Maude’s driver, he’s pushed into another Lebowski limo, that of her father. As expected, the Dude is accused of stealing the million dollars instead of handing it off to the kidnappers, despite his feeble protestations that he dropped off the money. The Dude is fibbing here, and perhaps this should concern us, but at this point he is of the opinion that no one has been hurt. But the stakes are raised when he’s presented with a human toe, purported to have been cut from the foot of Lebowski’s wife Bunny—a consequence of his failure to “achieve the modest task which was [his] charge.”

Every superhero has his weakness. Whereas superman has kryptonite, the Dude has his conscience. It’s not easy being nonchalant and easygoing when you care about your fellow humans and someone’s “life is in your hands.” As the only character blessed (or saddled) with compassion and conscience, the Dude is the only one with real cause to worry about Bunny’s well-being. It would be so much easier to “take it easy” if he were truly as apathetic as his adversaries presume.

Flung into another funk, the Dude plies Walter for help and advice at a coffeehouse but is met with nothing but aloof disparagement. “That’s not her toe,” Walter jeers, brushing off the gambit as the work of “fucking amateurs.” The Dude loses his cool at this point, concerned that the kidnappers will not only kill Bunny, but will kill him as well. This prompts Walter to try something more soothing. “That’s just the stress talking, Dude,” he says. It is a ridiculous and insensitive remark, but true to some degree. So what does the Dude do? He skeedoodles. The stress needs to stop talking.