Tales of the Unexpected - Responsibility

A human tends to shrink from its responsibility. Especially, when one has the right of choice, and when the result of the decision would bring huge burden on her, evasion of responsibility comes more alluring. This tendency could be easily found in children’s behavior. For example, one day, I played chess with my youngest brother James, betting a duty to do the dishes. The middle brother John watched 7-year-old James having a battle of wits with me. When the situation reached to the final stage, I noticed that James fortunately got a chance to win the game. ‘You’ve got a big chance!’ I cried. But James seemed to not understand how to finish it. Suddenly, John started to urge him to move his pawn to 5B. Having no any better thought, poor James pretended to think a little bit, and asked John again and again if he is certain. ‘I’ll guarantee it.’ Finally, James reluctantly moved his pawn saying, ‘All right, then. You swore.’ And of course, John’s tactic was of nonsense. Smiling a bit, I checkmated the king and ended up the game. James, excessively enraged, shouted out to John. ‘You guaranteed! You said you’ll guarantee!’ John rapidly ran out of the room. Likewise, when one has a right of decision, shifting a responsibility on to another’s shoulder is captivating; one is thereby making a kind of substitute of her responsibility. If the suggestion makes him win, that’s good for him; if not, he can switch the burden on the suggester.

By <Taste>, Roald Dahl focuses on capturing this human instinct – shirking one’s responsibility. He is also delivering several other sides of human nature by other characters. But those are somewhat typical in his short stories of <Tales of the unexpected>. In <Taste>, what’s noticeable is the daughter’s revelation of human nature to ‘reluctantly’ hide behind a suggester to whom the whole responsibility of the result will be ascribed, when she has a right to make a decision that will hugely influence her own life. At first, when Mike suggests his daughter to bet her marriage with Richard Pratt, she requires his father to guarantee the good result. “What if I lose?” “I keep telling you, you can’t lose. I’ll guarantee it.” (I.13 3) But it is obvious that no one could authentically guarantee it. So by asking for his guarantee meaninglessly again and again, the daughter tries to assure that the responsibility of the result is shifted on him. However, Mike, who uses every word to persuade her, in fact does not have the right of choice; a practical right of decision is of his daughter - betting her marriage with Richard Pratt is the same as betting her future life. Therefore, the daughter’s behavior makes an ironic situation that one who makes decision is different from one who takes responsibility. The point is that, if she loses the bet, her father certainly cannot take any responsibility. And even though she notices that fact, she reveals weak human nature of recklessly shirking one’s own responsibility in front of an unguaranteed future.

-         For the last time, she hesitated. Then she gave a helpless little shrug of the shoulders and said, “Oh, all right, then…” (I.13 8-9)

This passive attitude towards her decision reveals her weak nature more clearly. By doing so, she is verifying that she is never confident about her choice, and she will not take responsibility of the result.

When the large wet ‘keyhole’ (I.13 27) seems to activate well, that is, when Richard Pratt seems to guess the wine thing right, the daughter reassures his father’s guarantee. “Come on, Daddy. Turn it round and let’s have a peek. I want my two houses.” (I.18 23-4) However, it seems that she lost in her bet. The worst situation occurs now. The daughter could not do anything except keeping recalling that she shifted her responsibility to her father. But that is merely crying over split milk. She, facing irresistible burden to take on, expresses her helplessness through inflamed anger. “But, Daddy, you don’t mean to say he’s guessed it right!” (I.19 1-2) This reveals the weakest mechanism of human nature: anxiety expressed in rage.

And the ‘keyhole’ was a fake.