Tales of the Unexpected - Journal #1

     In Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, stories have routinely uncomplicated structures: playful-toned storytelling until almost the end and then a sudden twist-usually swiftly turning towards the extreme negative-at the end. Through such negative twists at the end of the stories, Dahl successfully conveys his themes on the ugliness of human nature pertaining to greed.

     In most of the stories, the setting and milieu of the scenes are luxurious. In stories such as Taste, My Lady Love, My Dove, Dip in the Pool, and Skin, characters who engage in a broad range of lavish activities appear: from gourmets and lovers of wine to a dilettante who acts as if he was a great patron of arts. The settings are also quite deluxe as well, ranging from a grand house of an aged but bored couple of wealth to a passenger ship with auctions going on. However, the characters are not really fit for such deluxe lifestyle. Often, Dahl’s clever twists at the end reveal this truth. Richard Pratt turned out to be a cheater after all, the young Snapes were actually not so affluent and were desperate for money, Mr. Botibol committed stupidity for money and lost his life, and Drioli certainly was not a man who could afford his expensive tastes for the arts. 

     Comprehension of the deep meanings underneath these few silly stories becomes possible with the recognition of the basic desire of mankind to lead luxurious lives far above those of others. Although people are born with such longing, people stop and resign with simply feigning their ideally desired selves in plebeian environments because the futile dreams they had held turned out to be much too unrealistic. In Tales of the Unexpected, Dahl explores the inane high-dimensional greed and the sad reality that prevents such yearning from coming true.

     Because of the initial calm tone and description with nothing noticeable going on, I first got the impression that the stories were too naïve and dull. However, after getting accessed to the sudden bend, I was able to grasp Dahl’s intentions. The initial plainness was intended to arouse a sense of normalness that anyone can find in commonsense situations. At normal settings like these, people wouldn’t do such foolish things just as the characters mentioned above have done. But when the silly desire for luxury comes in play, they are capable of committing silly and even wicked deeds to feign what they wish to be.

     Take Mr. Schofield in Taste for instance; a righteous person-just the person Mr. Schofield would have been if it wasn’t for the wine-would never bet on his daughter over something so trivial like guessing some facts about a specific brand of wine. However, when two fancy houses and his pride in wine, a symbol of luxury, come into play, Mr. Schofield stupidly bets on his daughter. His lavishing craving for aristocratic livelihood, although he was never fit for such a lifestyle, distorts his humane consciousness.

     Drioli, the poor protagonist of Skin, is another fascinating example. He was certainly not a man of the upper class. However, he acts as if he belongs to such aristocratic class, even when he is left old and impoverished. After he decides to “sell” Soutine’s painting on his back due to extreme hunger, he leans towards a luxurious lifestyle-which actually was not meant for him-that the hotelier proposes. Craving for an opulent life at the hotel, poor Drioli just follows a total stranger without considering the possibility of deceit. Miserable Drioli may have been too hungry to think over the stranger’s proposal, but there is no doubt his greed for sumptuous style of living cast a great deal of influence in his making a dangerous decision.

     Dahl rather explicitly reveals the dark side of human nature with a clear contrast between the plain, fun tone at beginning of each story and grave, gruesome twist at the end. I have not yet read more than half of the stories in this book, but it has become quite clear that he wanted reveal that greed comes in play even in most normal settings, and people carry out downright stupidity because they have a desire to belong to the upper cluster.