Skin, by Roald Dahl

Questions like ‘How would you get rid of a murder weapon without causing suspicion?’ and ‘What if you found out the tattoo on your back was worth over a million pounds?’ could make the reader hungry for more dark tales with unexpected endings. How did you find this story?

The story was incredible. I liked it because the story it was a short story, but long enough to surprise the reader with and unexpected and twisted ending. This story shows the talent of the writer of writing stories capable of surprising any kind of reader. I also liked the interesting way the writer used the flashbacks in the story.

Although I really liked the story and enjoyed the twisted ending, I must say that it isn´t my favorite story. I think stories such as “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Sound Machine” are still better than “Skin” because they have a more interesting  and developed plot, also with breathless ending for the reader.

Which of the two proposals made to Drioli sounds more appealing to you?

If I had to choose, I would accept the proposal of the Hotel in Cannes, but I would give myself time enough for researching information about the hotel and also about the man that is supposed to be the owner of it.  Then I would see it was all a fake and I would accept none of the options.

I think it was the pressure of the moment that made Drioli accept the offer of a man he didn’t know at all. He could have chosen accepting none of the offers, because choosing to do nothing is an option we always have.

 Do you think Drioli made a wise decision? Why (not)? 

Drioli made a stupid decision, because he didn’t know that man, but he still negotiated with him what to do with HIS body. The proposal was very tempting- I would have been tempted by it also- but it was his body and should have been more sensible when making a decision – when “selling” his skin and also when he tattooed it.

Analyze the ending, especially the last paragraph, and make your comments.

 “It wasn’t more than a few weeks later that a picture by Soutine, of a woman’s head, painted in an unusual manner, nicely framed and heavily varnished , turned up for sale in Buenos Aires. That - and the fact that there is no hotel in Cannes called Bristol - causes one to wonder a little, and to pray for the old man’s health, and to hope strongly that wherever he may be at this moment, there is a plump attractive girl to manicure the nails of his fingers, and a maid to bring him his breakfast in bed in the mornings.”

The ending suggests that the man whose proposal he accepts kills him. Like in other stories, the writer tells the reader to be careful with the people we think we know, because not always everything is what it seems to be.

Deep in the Pool, by Roald Dahl

This story is an exercise in subtlety, from the gentle joke of its title to the surprise catch at its ending. Analyze the story title.

The story title can be understood in two different ways. The first one is when Mr. Botibol jumps off the ship to the sea. It would be a funny and ironic way of saying “deep in the sea”. The other way the title can be understood, is that the pool mentioned in it is the pool of money of the bets. Mr. Botibol was deep in the pool of money because he betted all his savings and because he is “drowned” in the pool of money he has no possibilities of winning.

What drove Mr. Botibol jump overboard?

It gave him more possibilities to win. Staying on the boat would mean that he was going to lose for sure (he would be alive but with no money left). Jumping off the ship was the way of solving the problem. He would win the bet because they would have to save him (he would be alive and would have all the money), or he could die, which considering that money is more important than living; it would be another solution, because if he is dead he doesn´t have to worry about the money. Anyway, dying wasn’t part of his plan.

Why did his plan fail?

His plan fails because the woman he chooses to give the alarm that he was in the sea, was mentally insane. If I were him, I would have chosen a group of people, just in case the person that was supposed to help me left or didn’t help me.

What would have done if you were the old lady?

I think I would take a glance to the sea just to make sure there was no man in the sea. Although the other woman was mentally insane, you never really know when they are telling the truth or not. Of course, if there was a man in the sea, I would immediately tell the captain.

The last scene is that of the elderly woman “allowing herself to be led away across the deck" and offhandedly mentioning “Such a nice man. He waved to me". What does this tell you about the old lady and poor Mr. Botibol?

It tells me that the woman was not mentally sane, so the elderly woman was taking care of her, and that the plan of Mr. Botibol failed. It is clear that she is insane because she thinks that the man is exercising in the sea. Mr. Botibol was clearly desperate and took a very quick decision. He was killed by his own ambition and desire of being the winner of the bet. He made a very bad decision on betting all the savings he had.

Identify the story themes and expand on them. Find at least two.

Money: It is a common ambition on people and they are willing to do almost everything just for having more. It is very important for some because it defines their social status and because they think that it makes them better than other people and because it gives them more power.

Betting:  It is also shown in “Taste”. It is shown as a very dangerous obsession in people and that can also make them take dangerous, quick and wrong decisions just for winning.

“Ambitions and obsessions” is a theme shown in a lot of stories of Roald Dahl. In this story is shown with money and betting.

Insanity is shown in this story, but in my opinion it isn’t developed by the writer as a theme, but it is only shown as a very important part in the development of the story-specially in the ending-.

I think all the themes used by the writer are used to show the reader the real nature of the human being, in almost all his stories.

Find similarities between this story and Man from the South.

The similarities I can notice between these two stories are that the main character is apparently on holidays, the appearance of an insane person and of a sane person taking care of it, and the existence of a bet. In both stories the main character makes his decisions based on the odds he has for winning the bet.

What´s the message Roald Dahl gives its reader?

I think the message Roald Dahl gives its reader is that people’s decisions are made very often based on their ambitions and obsessions, and that people are able to reach very extreme points when carried away by them. This is something this writer shows in his stories very often – he kind of tries to unmask the real nature on the human being, a nature that sometimes can scare anyone. 

THE SOUND MACHINE, by Roald Dahl

All throughout the story we come across information that reveals the personality traits of the main character: scientist  Klausner.  Expand on this.
He is patient, meticulous, impulsive and smart. He is smart because he makes a scientific hypothesis and he builds his machine all by himself. He is a bit impulsive in the way he asked things to people, like when he asks Mrs. Saunders to cut another flower, he kind of scares she and when he beggs the doctor to heal the tree. He is patient and meticulous in the way he builds the machine.

How would you have reacted if you had been in Mrs. Saunders´position?
If I had been in Mrs. Saunders position, I think I would't get frightened at all. I would just do what he asks me to do, because I don't consider he to be a danger jus because he is crazy. In fact, I think that I would be interested in his theory if he was willing to explain it to me. On the other hand, if he was violent and I considered him a danger, I would just cut the roses so he didn't get mad with me for refusing.

What does the ending of the story tell you about Dr. Scott? 

At the end the story tells us that Dr Scott heals the tree with iodine after Klausner insists him to do it and that he promises Klausner to visit the tree for taking care of it. This shows us that the doctor feels empathy for Klausner. The story gave me the impression that he was a very patient man and that he had some kind of friendship with Klausner.

Give your opinion on the story themes:

a-Obsession Is shown in Klausner, who obviously has an obesession with sound. He is convinced that he can be able to make a machine that will serve for hearing sounds the human ear can´t hear. From my point of view, the story suggests that his obsession made him to turn mad, and that that is the reason of why Dr Scott visits him daily.

b-Empathy The doctor feels empathy for Klausner because he knows Klausner is mad. He goes to listen the sound machine of Klausner and shows himself very comprehensive with Klausner and promises him to go and see the tree everyday after giving it iodine.

c-Individuality vs. Conformity Kausner make sall his investigation by his own and is not willing to tell his theory to anyone - it's his secret. 
At the end, he proves his theory to be true, but a branch falls and breaks the only thing that would be useful for proving that his theory was correct. He is comformed having the truth for himelf. He doesn't turn mad because no one else would ever know the truth - for him is enough to know that he knows the truth of the facts. 

d-Madness vs. Sanity At the end of the story we don't know if it was just an obession or if it was real fact the discovery Klausner did in the world of the story and in the mind of the writer. 
What I like of this story is that depending on the reader it can be understood as if Klausner imagined everything or as if it was true that the plants "yelled".

Write a review of this short story.

The Sound Machine is an  interesing short story about a scientist who has the theory that there is are a lot of amazing sounds - a whole different world of them -  the human ear can’t hear. Klausner invents a machine which is able to capture and transform the sounds which we are not able to hear for proving his theory. He only told two people about it - Dr. Scott and Mrs. Saunders - but both of them believe he is crazy. That doesn’t avoids him to continue with his research. This idea is an obsession for Klausner, at the point is all he thinks about. At the end he hears the sounds he wanted to hear.

This is a very nice story of Roald Dahl, I think is one of my favourites, because we never come to know if it is all a product of Klausner’s imagination or if everything is true. I would recommend the story to anyone, but would also like to know the interpretation of other readers.

TASTE, by Roald Dahl

How is it that a harmless guessing game between two lovers of good wine suddenly grows into a serious rivalry?

This story presents two friends, two lovers of good wine. They love playing a harmless game where one of them has to guess what wine is the one he is tasting. In my opinion, Mike wasn't able to stand how it was that no matter how difficult the wine he gave to Michael was, he would always say the correct answer. The pride of Mike and Richard is the seed that grows into a serious chivalry between both of them. It seems that Richard wants to showoff his talent tasting wines, while Mike wants to prove that he can't be perfect doing that and that he knows many particular wines. This seed grows, making them to make very risky bets. At the end, the writer suggests that Mike is going to get furious with Richard, and that maybe their friendship will end. 

As in all Dahl´s stories, they have a twist in the end. Analyze it.

When I finished reading the story, the message of the writer was clear for me: not everything is what it seems to be, and you always have to discriminate what is real from what is not. It is clear that for the writer bets have had an important place in his life. As in Man fom the south, Taste was supposed to have a catastrophic ending. Dahl shows us that we must keep an eye on people, that we shouldn´t trust so easily the people around us. Taste was supossed to finish Richard winning the bet and Mike being devastated. We should have to thank the maid, because wihout her there would be no happy ending. 

We  notice that many of Dahl´s characters are ordinary and respectable on the surface, but many of them have an unexpectedly dark and cruel side to their personalities. Taste is no exception. What´s your view on this?

Mike is willing to bet the hand of his daughter. Although it was for sure that if Richard had played fairly he would have won the bet, it was the most cruel thing a father could do to his daughter. The only thing that is on his mind is to show that Richard isn't as talented as he seems to be. He doesn't listen to the claims of hir wife and daughter, he just goes on with the bet.

Cruelty and darkness is obviously also shown in Richard, because he has cheated to win the bet - he is willing to cheat just for winning the hand on the daughter of his friend.

Taste deals with themes such as: stubbornness, pride and even human stupidity. Give examples.

The perfect example of stubbornness is Mike. His daughter and wife begged him not to bet his daughter as a trophey, but he let herself get carried away by his ambitions.

Pride is shown in Richard, because he cheats for showing off his "talent" of tasting wines.
Human stupidity is shown in both characters, because they let theirselves get carried away by the game and their own interests.

Write a paragraph to conclude the story.

To conclude the story, I've decided to write another ending to the story. 

'Now, Michael!' his wife said. 'Keep calm now, Michael, my dear! Keep calm!' While his wife was begging Michael to clam down, at the other side of the table Richard began to giggle, and after the giggle, came the laughter. Suddenly, for the surprise of all the rest, Michael also began to laugh. 'You forgot the glasses on my study Richard? How silly of you. You ruined everything' said Michael 'Yes, very silly of me, but it made it even better, don't you think?' answered him Richard 'I think it could have not ended better than this. Nobody expected that. Neither both of us, which makes it much more better!' Richard and Michael continued laughing, but the rest stayed in silence. They were shocked. Then Michael said 'Happy April Fool's day, everybody'.

Reading broadens one's horizon… Dare to be opened to a new world…

To reflect:                                      

Robert C. Edwards once said, "Don’t place too much confidence in the man who boasts of being as honest as the day is long. Wait until you meet him at night."

This is very similar to Roald Dahl’s opinion of human nature. He feels that humans are two faced and act nice on the outside, but we can never know what is going on in their minds. In each of Roald Dahl’s stories, there is always a connection made with human nature. He conveys that human nature is the same. They are greedy, deceitful, or dishonest. The twists that Dahl creates in the ending of almost every short story, usually surprises the reader, because it was most unexpected. His endings are very unpredictable and can leave the reader in suspense. Dahl has many ways in writing his short stories, which usually follow the same plot line. He also uses a lot of figurative language, animating the events, and making it easier for the reader to imagine the setting. Most of his stories are set around the 1950s and either in London or New York. There is always an atmosphere created in each story, allowing the reader to feel like they are in the character’s position, it also allows the reader to react in a certain way to the situations that occur.

(cited from internet source)

“The sound machine is a catalyst but readers need to decide for themselves just what it does for (or to) Klausner. Has the apparatus actually provided access to the realm of the ultrasonic and allowed him to listen in on Nature? Or has the device triggered (or perhaps uncovered) lunacy? With its emphasis on a strange scientist preoccupied with Nature, the tale is reminiscent of the “mad scientist" stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. With an obsessive main character and his heightened sense of hearing, the tale also echoes Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart “The Sound Machine" slyly admonishes readers that we hear what we want to.” (Cited from internet source.)

Roald Dahl has the following advice for his readers:

Do’s:

1. Hold steadfastly to your convictions without fear.

2. Respect people even if they hold different views.

3. Pursue the truth even if you are alone.

4. Accept and admit the truth.

5. Respect all life forms and love the environment.

Don’t’s:

1. Do not reject/ostracise/ridicule/dismiss people who think differently from you.

2. Do not label people who are different.

Roald Dahl: About the Author

1.       Find out when Roald Dahl wrote these stories and how the world affairs at that time influenced his writing.

Roald Dahl wrote the lamb to the slaughter in 1953 and the way up to heaven in 1954.

Dahl starts to write stories in 1942. Lamb to the slaughter would be one of the stories he wrote on his first full decade as a writer. That period of time is called the ‘’The Post War Period’’. Among the features of the Post War period the most important would be the growth of cities, and the attendant rise in urban tension, the incipient liberation of women, young people, and minorities, the sense that the normative, agriculturally based America that had existed up until the nation’s involvement in World War II was in radical dissolution. . It is significant with respect to Dahl’s story that divorce, formerly rare in the statistics of American life, began to rise in the aftermath of the war.

2.       Would you say Dahl was a feminist? Why (not)?

I wouldn’t say he was a feminist, I would say that Roald Dahl shows the cruel side of people. He shows the cruel side of the husbands, who have neither pity nor respect for their wives, but in the other side, the author shows the wives more evil and calculating than their husbands. In my opinion, at some point in both stories –principally in the first one- it is shown that there is always another truth under the impressions that people might have of a person, and that sometimes when we think everything is perfect, underneath it isn’t. 

Lamb to the Slaughter & The Way Up to Heaven

1. Both Mrs. Maloney and Mrs. Foster were loving wives; how is it then that they both became involved in their partner’s deaths? Did they plan to kill them? 

They both became involved in their partner's deaths, because they had been cruel with them; they touched the bottom of the situation. Mr. Maloney was cruel leaving Mary while being pregnant, and Mr. Foster torturing his wife with her pathological fear.

Both women planned it instantly. Mary Maloney planned an alibi and had a murder weapon, but Mrs. Foster apparently did nothing. She only deduced that her husband had stuck on the elevator, so she took that opportunity to have her revenge. She didn’t have to plan an alibi, because in theory, she didn’t knew about Mr. Foster being stuck on the elevator, since she was in Paris with her grandchildren.

2. Which story did you find more morbid? Why? 

Lamb to the slaughter, Because you know that there is no way they can find proves against her- you know all the process, you know the alibi, and you just know that there is no way they could blame her, which is disturbing, such as the fact that she gets an enjoyment with what she has done (you can see she is giggling when she hears the conversation of the policemen). The other one isn't so morbid, because you don’t know if the husband got stuck by accident, or if it was planned by Mrs. Foster. You don’t know if she is going to get rid of being she the main suspect, so that makes it less morbid, although the idea of leaving her husband starve to death on an elevator, is also disturbing. 

3. Are both story endings predictable? 

No. You can predict that they are going to have their revenge – but you can never guess how. I would never predict the black humorous ending of lamb to the slaughter – Mary Maloney giggling as he heard the conversation of policemen. Also, you can't predict that she is going to kill him with the leg of a lam. That is ridiculous when you read it, but then the cleverness of Mary is shown when she deletes the evidence serving it at the policemen, and thinking of an alibi so quickly. It is almost the perfect crime.

On the right way to heaven, you don’t know what she hears that makes her change her mind, not until the end. You would never think that her husband was stuck on the elevator since she heard those noises on the other side of the door, and it’s never said in the story – you have to deduce it at the end.

The only thing you can predict is that they are going to have their revenge, but never how it will be.

4. Did women win?

Yes, because both have an alibi. Mary Maloney has eliminated the evidence, had a witness, and a very trustful alibi. Mrs. Foster also won, because the only thing she did was to decide that her husband could go the club alone, and no one could say that she knew he was stuck on the elevator. Also because her alibi was to write letters to him every week, although she knew he was supposed to be death. 

5. Do you sympathize with any of these two ladies? 

I don’t sympathize with them because they murdered a person, -although Mrs. Foster did it on and indirect way-; they were not in their senses. Maybe at the beginning, when you notice the cruel attitude of their husbands among them, you can sympathize with them, but then they get revenge and are satisfied with that. In conclusion, I don't sympathize them because they got satisfaction killing a person – although at some point they deserved it.

6. Is it OK for both of them to get away with their crimes? 

There is a balance. The men made them suffer, were cruel, in different ways. The policeman told Mary he wanted the divorce, all at once, and she also killed him I all at once. Mr. Foster tortured Mrs., Foster constantly, he made her suffer slowly, and she also made him suffer, leaving him alone stuck on the elevator, starving for death. They are guilty, but their husbands decided their destiny by torturing them – by being cruel and heartless.