Tales of the Unexpected - Exploring Human Weakness

            The stories in ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ are bizarre. Not surprising, because most short stories are. Roald Dahl’s short stories end with an abrupt twist of the plot, leaving the reader bewildered and dazzled, wondering whether the story was meant for anything at all. For example, in ‘Dip in the Pool’, a man named Mr. Botibol attempts to win a bet by jumping off a ship, expecting to be saved by the woman standing next to him when he jumps down. But after some hesitation, she turns back and walks away, leaving poor Mr. Botibol floundering in the sea. At this point, when the reader expects some kind of miracle, the story ends. But definitely, the stories aren’t just meant for amusement; they are too short to develop plots intricate enough to weave thrill and suspense. Instead, every story has its own, subtle message that combine into a single theme – human’s weakness to his impulse.

            The characters in ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ seem more evil, cold, and egocentric than normal humans. But the darkness of their nature is not exaggerated; the characters are not exceptional. Most of us, if put in extreme situations, are triggered to unethical and insane thoughts. Thus, rather than underlining how evil humans are, Roald Dahl shows that humans are weak to such sudden impulse.  

            One of the most famous short stories, ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is a murder story. Mary, after learning from her husband that he will leave her, bangs his head with a lamb’s leg from behind. He immediately dies. Whether she meant to kill him is unknown. But her murder isn’t as surprising as how she murders and her reactions afterwards. How she conveys this blow is shocking, as she does it without any hesitation. Even after checking his death, all she says is ‘All right, so I’ve killed him’. This contrasts to herself just a few minutes from then, when she loved her husband so dearly. She shows no sign of remorse or panic, as she coldly and intelligently creates a false scene to escape blame, at which she succeeds. Mary illustrates how humans can turn cold so suddenly; how we are so easily dominated by our sudden impulse and whim; how your lover can be your murderer the next minute. Joker illustrates this concept in the movie ‘Dark Knight’, when he says that the mere difference between a hero and a villain is a sheet of paper. ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ should not be interpreted as an isolated case of a crazy woman. Most of us totally depend on the people around us, and no one knows what evil we will turn into when something happens to our beloved ones.

            Mr. Botibol in the short story mentioned above, ‘Dip in the Pool’, also demonstrates human weakness. His logic and reasoning are completely obscured by his desire the win the bet. Greed dominates his mind and renders him myopic. Risking his life to win a bet may seem simply crazy and amusing at first glance. But one only needs to think for a while to see that so many people, like Mr. Botibol, risk everything for money. The most respected members of our society are often found in TV, covering their face shamefully under conviction of bribery.

            Roald Dahl, in his brilliant short plots, create entertaining characters that seem unrealistic at first glance but who represent the essence of human nature. By exposing this nature without moderation, he teaches a stark lesson that we may be crazier and weaker than who we think we are.