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The Bottle Imp
Offering an engrossing spin on a time-honored theme - the risky business of making a pact with the devil - this short story is a radiant jewel. It recounts the mercurial lot of Keawe, a Hawaiian who purchases a bottle inhabited by an imp capable of granting any wish. Yet this enticing object holds a dark curse: anyone who dies with it in his possession will burn forever in hell. And here's the rub: one can sell the bottle only for less than its purchase price. Keawe rids himself of the bottle after acquiring a palatial home. But when he needs it again to ensure his happiness with a newfound love, its cost is, chillingly, one cent, and the responsibility of ownership becomes a good deal more complex.
Newly designed and typeset in a modern 5.5-by-8.5-inch format by Waking Lion Press.
Newly designed and typeset in a modern 5.5-by-8.5-inch format by Waking Lion Press.
52 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1891
195 people are currently reading
4721 people want to read
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,457 books6,818 followersRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 794 reviews
January 9, 2025
Read in the Black Water 1 anthology together with the Short Story CLub.
This short novella was interesting although the theme is not new. Another version of a pact with the devil. This time in the form of a magic lamp where the inhabitant, an imp, grants wishes with a twist. If a person dies while owning the lamp, the soul goes straight to hell. The onwer can sell the lamp but with a price lower than he/she bought it. And here where the drama of the story comes from. The value of the lamp has gone very low. The story is focused on the people’s emotions rather than only the facts and it helped elevate the quality of the short story.
This short novella was interesting although the theme is not new. Another version of a pact with the devil. This time in the form of a magic lamp where the inhabitant, an imp, grants wishes with a twist. If a person dies while owning the lamp, the soul goes straight to hell. The onwer can sell the lamp but with a price lower than he/she bought it. And here where the drama of the story comes from. The value of the lamp has gone very low. The story is focused on the people’s emotions rather than only the facts and it helped elevate the quality of the short story.
June 7, 2024
A few weeks ago, Apatt suggested I might like some Halloween shorts.
It turned out, it he wasn’t referring to seasonally patterned undergarments, but to short stories with a dash of the macabre. This is one of his recommendations.
My first encounter with Robert Louis Stevenson was as a pre-schooler, via his charming A Child's Garden of Verses, vividly and distinctively illustrated by Brian Wildsmith. Later, I came to know him for darker fare like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island (though The Muppets (in)famously lightened that!).
This Victorian (1891) story is somewhere between, being a sometimes lighthearted look at a Faustian pact, with Hawaiian exoticsm, a love story, and potential paradoxes thrown in.
It opens enticingly:
“There was a man of the Island of Hawaii, whom I shall call Keawe; for the truth is, he still lives, and his name must be kept secret.”
Whatever dark things the reader is about to learn, there is still something to be afraid of…
The eponymous bottle has bewitching beauty; the imp, less so:
Image: "Demon Seated", by Mikhail Vrubal, 1890 (Source.)
“A round-bellied bottle with a long neck; the glass of it was white like milk, with changing rainbow colours in the grain. Withinsides something obscurely moved, like a shadow and a fire.”
The imp will grant its owner any wish except immortality. Of course, there are a few other caveats and rules, but mortals think they can outwit the imp. So far, so traditional. But Stevenson’s story is more complex, warm, and original than I expected.
Keawe is a good man, and a wise one.
He knows that if something sounds too got to be true, it probably is.
He knows to be careful what you wish for.
Although he assumes money buys peace of mind and happiness, he does not want to be corrupted by the possibility of untold wealth - or for others to be.
Kokua is a good woman, and a wise one.
There are several enticing but difficult dilemmas.
"Is it not a terrible thing to save oneself by the eternal ruin of another?”
Conversely, what would you sacrifice for love?
The ending was clever, but I’d have preferred more ambiguity.
You can read the dozen pages free, on Gutenberg, HERE.
Short story club
I reread this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
It turned out, it he wasn’t referring to seasonally patterned undergarments, but to short stories with a dash of the macabre. This is one of his recommendations.
My first encounter with Robert Louis Stevenson was as a pre-schooler, via his charming A Child's Garden of Verses, vividly and distinctively illustrated by Brian Wildsmith. Later, I came to know him for darker fare like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island (though The Muppets (in)famously lightened that!).
This Victorian (1891) story is somewhere between, being a sometimes lighthearted look at a Faustian pact, with Hawaiian exoticsm, a love story, and potential paradoxes thrown in.
It opens enticingly:
“There was a man of the Island of Hawaii, whom I shall call Keawe; for the truth is, he still lives, and his name must be kept secret.”
Whatever dark things the reader is about to learn, there is still something to be afraid of…
The eponymous bottle has bewitching beauty; the imp, less so:
Image: "Demon Seated", by Mikhail Vrubal, 1890 (Source.)
“A round-bellied bottle with a long neck; the glass of it was white like milk, with changing rainbow colours in the grain. Withinsides something obscurely moved, like a shadow and a fire.”
The imp will grant its owner any wish except immortality. Of course, there are a few other caveats and rules, but mortals think they can outwit the imp. So far, so traditional. But Stevenson’s story is more complex, warm, and original than I expected.
Keawe is a good man, and a wise one.
He knows that if something sounds too got to be true, it probably is.
He knows to be careful what you wish for.
Although he assumes money buys peace of mind and happiness, he does not want to be corrupted by the possibility of untold wealth - or for others to be.
Kokua is a good woman, and a wise one.
There are several enticing but difficult dilemmas.
"Is it not a terrible thing to save oneself by the eternal ruin of another?”
Conversely, what would you sacrifice for love?
The ending was clever, but I’d have preferred more ambiguity.
You can read the dozen pages free, on Gutenberg, HERE.
Short story club
I reread this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
September 4, 2020
4,5 stars. Audiobook in Portuguese.
Synopsis: " 'The Bottle Imp' is an 1891 short story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson usually found in the short story collection 'Island Nights' Entertainments'. It was first published in the 'New York Herald' (February–March 1891) and 'Black and White' London (March–April 1891). In it, the protagonist buys a bottle with an imp inside that grants wishes. However, the bottle is cursed; if the holder dies bearing it, his or her soul is forfeit to hell."
Synopsis: " 'The Bottle Imp' is an 1891 short story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson usually found in the short story collection 'Island Nights' Entertainments'. It was first published in the 'New York Herald' (February–March 1891) and 'Black and White' London (March–April 1891). In it, the protagonist buys a bottle with an imp inside that grants wishes. However, the bottle is cursed; if the holder dies bearing it, his or her soul is forfeit to hell."
October 24, 2018
This 1891 story by Robert Louis Stevenson is a fun October read, just a little spooky. Native Hawaiian Keawe meets a man with a beautiful home but a deep sadness in his heart. It turns out that the man's wealth and possessions all come from a mysterious bottle with a magical imp inside that grants your wishes. But there's always a catch with wishes being granted. In this case, the only way to get rid of the bottle is to sell it for less than you paid for it, and if you die still possessing the bottle, your soul will go to hell. As the price drops to pennies, the plot thickens.
How it plays out is interesting and rather creative. Stevenson examines the hearts of men and women as they deal with the hopes and fears that accompany the magical bottle.
Free to read online many places, including here.
How it plays out is interesting and rather creative. Stevenson examines the hearts of men and women as they deal with the hopes and fears that accompany the magical bottle.
Free to read online many places, including here.
July 4, 2020
Cumplió con mis expectativas.
Muy buen relato por parte de Stevenson. Este es uno de esos casos donde desde el momento que leemos la sinopsis, tenemos el presentimiento de que el libro nos va a gustar completamente; justamente, así ha ocurrido. Una historia que se me hizo demasiado corta porque la disfruté todo el tiempo y de la que no llegué a encontrar defecto alguno.
En esta historia todo gira en torno a la botella que contiene el diablillo, y gracias a las propiedades que el autor le brinda, la convierte en el tema principal de la historia por encima de todos los personajes. Es una historia corta, pero muy bien construida y desarrollada, que nos lleva a leerla sin parar hasta el final, desde el momento en que tomamos el libro en nuestras manos.
Algo que llama mi atención es el diseño de la historia que ofrece muchas posibilidades. En caso de un trabajo con mayor profundidad, Stevenson pudo convertir esta idea en una novela de 300 o 500 páginas sin ningún problema. De haber sucedido, agregándole a esta historia un desarrollo más dramático, oscuro y lleno de tragedia, el resultado sería espectacular. Sin embargo, como relato también es correcto y me gustó bastante.
No es necesario dar más detalles sobre la historia, lo mejor es disfrutarlo. La calificación es de cinco estrellas sin ninguna duda.
Muy buen relato por parte de Stevenson. Este es uno de esos casos donde desde el momento que leemos la sinopsis, tenemos el presentimiento de que el libro nos va a gustar completamente; justamente, así ha ocurrido. Una historia que se me hizo demasiado corta porque la disfruté todo el tiempo y de la que no llegué a encontrar defecto alguno.
En esta historia todo gira en torno a la botella que contiene el diablillo, y gracias a las propiedades que el autor le brinda, la convierte en el tema principal de la historia por encima de todos los personajes. Es una historia corta, pero muy bien construida y desarrollada, que nos lleva a leerla sin parar hasta el final, desde el momento en que tomamos el libro en nuestras manos.
Algo que llama mi atención es el diseño de la historia que ofrece muchas posibilidades. En caso de un trabajo con mayor profundidad, Stevenson pudo convertir esta idea en una novela de 300 o 500 páginas sin ningún problema. De haber sucedido, agregándole a esta historia un desarrollo más dramático, oscuro y lleno de tragedia, el resultado sería espectacular. Sin embargo, como relato también es correcto y me gustó bastante.
No es necesario dar más detalles sobre la historia, lo mejor es disfrutarlo. La calificación es de cinco estrellas sin ninguna duda.
April 18, 2018
Este cuento es uno de los más logrados y recordados que escribió Stevenson y es una maravilla. Recuerdo que cuando terminé de leerlo (de un tirón), quedé fascinado.
La historia encierra esa enseñanza de que a veces, ser afortunado no significa que tu vida mejore o seas más feliz.
Se relaciona directamente con otro afamado cuento que involucra deseos y peligros y que se llama "La pata de mono" de W.W. Jacobs.
Ambos encierran casi la misma temática y revelan cuán favorables o desastrosas pueden ser nuestras decisiones cuando afectan el destino de nuestras propias vidas.
Tiene también una lejana conexión con otro relato de Stevenson llamado "La isla de las voces", ambientado en la paradísiaca Hawaii, lo que le da un tono aun más hermoso y cautivante a la historia narrada.
La historia encierra esa enseñanza de que a veces, ser afortunado no significa que tu vida mejore o seas más feliz.
Se relaciona directamente con otro afamado cuento que involucra deseos y peligros y que se llama "La pata de mono" de W.W. Jacobs.
Ambos encierran casi la misma temática y revelan cuán favorables o desastrosas pueden ser nuestras decisiones cuando afectan el destino de nuestras propias vidas.
Tiene también una lejana conexión con otro relato de Stevenson llamado "La isla de las voces", ambientado en la paradísiaca Hawaii, lo que le da un tono aun más hermoso y cautivante a la historia narrada.
June 14, 2024
1 star
short review for busy readers: Old lit that really reads like tedious, badly strung together old lit. Blech. The story is predictable in that you can foresee the problem the bottle imp’s rules will eventually cause…and when that happens, you think “you know what you should do”...and that's what they do and then the story ends.
Still, even if the story is highly illogical, it probs was rather horrifying back in the day. Much less so now.
Might also possibly be somewhat racist in its depiction of sweet, innocent dark people with a fear of hellfire. Oh, and sexist in that the only woman is a golden-hearted, submissive, long-suffering wife who would happily die for her man -- but who was magic spelled into marrying him because he couldn't wait to bed her. She never had a choice in the matter.
But hey, the tale was written over 100 years ago and it's Stevenson, so...yeah.
Read with the GR Short Story Club.
short review for busy readers: Old lit that really reads like tedious, badly strung together old lit. Blech. The story is predictable in that you can foresee the problem the bottle imp’s rules will eventually cause…and when that happens, you think “you know what you should do”...and that's what they do and then the story ends.
Still, even if the story is highly illogical, it probs was rather horrifying back in the day. Much less so now.
Might also possibly be somewhat racist in its depiction of sweet, innocent dark people with a fear of hellfire. Oh, and sexist in that the only woman is a golden-hearted, submissive, long-suffering wife who would happily die for her man -- but who was magic spelled into marrying him because he couldn't wait to bed her. She never had a choice in the matter.
But hey, the tale was written over 100 years ago and it's Stevenson, so...yeah.
Read with the GR Short Story Club.
October 19, 2017
Relato corto, muy corto. La verdad es que está bien, pero al ser tan corto no da tiempo a encariñarse de los personajes.
October 16, 2016
One of my favorite stories, just the thing to read for Halloween, not that it is particularly scary, but it does have a dark atmosphere and a cool supernatural conceit involving wishes and an imp. Like The Monkey’s Paw which I just reviewed earlier today, the story is underpinned by the theme of “be careful what you wish for”. Having said that the way wishes work in The Bottle Imp is much more complex and interesting than The Monkey's Paw.
Basically whoever possess the bottled imp can make an unlimited number of wishes, but they must sell the bottle for less than the purchase price before they die, otherwise they will burn in hell forever after their death. That doesn't sound like much of a challenge, selling things at a loss is easy, it’s making a profit that is always a struggle. However, Robert Louis Stevenson cleverly explores the practicality of reselling an item that reduces in value until it reaches the ultimate price level of zilch.
If you have all your wishes you want, but you bought the bottle for a single penny what would you do? The protagonist Keawe thought he had it made when he was able to sell the bottle after being granted a mansion and a servant by the imp. Unfortunately after selling the bottle he is afflicted with leprosy just when he is preparing to marry the beautiful Kokua, the love of his life. His only hope for a cure is to buy the bottle back from whoever has it now. Tracking down the bottle is not particularly challenging, and buying it is all too easy. The problem is that the selling rice is now extremely low, fortunately, his wife Kokua has the brilliant idea of going overseas to a country where the currency has a lower minimum denomination than in the US. So off they go to Tahiti a “centime” is worth less than half of a penny. You will have to read it to find how it all turns out.
Though not as legendary as Stevenson’s classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Bottle Imp is a very entertaining and thought-provoking story, the morality of selling such a bottle is, after all, questionable. It is whimsically narrated in the style of a folk tale, and the conclusion is nice and satisfying.
___________________
Read The Bottle Imp free online (and legal!)
Basically whoever possess the bottled imp can make an unlimited number of wishes, but they must sell the bottle for less than the purchase price before they die, otherwise they will burn in hell forever after their death. That doesn't sound like much of a challenge, selling things at a loss is easy, it’s making a profit that is always a struggle. However, Robert Louis Stevenson cleverly explores the practicality of reselling an item that reduces in value until it reaches the ultimate price level of zilch.
If you have all your wishes you want, but you bought the bottle for a single penny what would you do? The protagonist Keawe thought he had it made when he was able to sell the bottle after being granted a mansion and a servant by the imp. Unfortunately after selling the bottle he is afflicted with leprosy just when he is preparing to marry the beautiful Kokua, the love of his life. His only hope for a cure is to buy the bottle back from whoever has it now. Tracking down the bottle is not particularly challenging, and buying it is all too easy. The problem is that the selling rice is now extremely low, fortunately, his wife Kokua has the brilliant idea of going overseas to a country where the currency has a lower minimum denomination than in the US. So off they go to Tahiti a “centime” is worth less than half of a penny. You will have to read it to find how it all turns out.
Though not as legendary as Stevenson’s classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Bottle Imp is a very entertaining and thought-provoking story, the morality of selling such a bottle is, after all, questionable. It is whimsically narrated in the style of a folk tale, and the conclusion is nice and satisfying.
___________________
Read The Bottle Imp free online (and legal!)
June 10, 2024
4★
“So Keawe took the bottle up and dashed it on the floor till he was weary; but it jumped on the floor like a child’s ball, and was not injured.
‘This is a strange thing,’ said Keawe. ‘For by the touch of it, as well as by the look, the bottle should be of glass.’
‘Of glass it is,’ replied the man, sighing more heavily than ever; ‘but the glass of it was tempered in the flames of hell. An imp lives in it, and that is the shadow we behold there moving: or so I suppose. If any man buy this bottle the imp is at his command; all that he desires—love, fame, money, houses like this house, ay, or a city like this city—all are his at the word uttered.’ ”
The man goes on to say that Napoleon once owned it, sold it, and then died. Captain Cook likewise. Keawe can’t resist.
The author has what I find a humorous claim at the beginning:
“Note.—Any student of that very unliterary product, the English drama of the early part of the century, will here recognise the name and the root idea of a piece once rendered popular by the redoubtable O. Smith. The root idea is there and identical, and yet I hope I have made it a new thing. And the fact that the tale has been designed and written for a Polynesian audience may lend it some extraneous interest nearer home.—R. L. S.”
I don’t know who “O. Smith” was, nor do I know why Stevenson considered the English drama from the early part of the 1800s to be “unliterary”. I also don’t know why the decided to write his version based in Hawaii for a Polynesian audience, but there it is.
The style is stilted, making it sound like a folktale, in fact, like a translated folktale, which suits the story.
This is another example of be careful what you wish for, but I did like the way this one finished.
It is one of the stories from The Short Story Club, which you can join here. The moderator always provides a copy of the story if you don't have the current collection being discussed. You can join the conversation or just read what people think.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I read it in Stevenson’s An Island Night's Entertainment, which you can read or download free from Project Gutenberg.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/329
“So Keawe took the bottle up and dashed it on the floor till he was weary; but it jumped on the floor like a child’s ball, and was not injured.
‘This is a strange thing,’ said Keawe. ‘For by the touch of it, as well as by the look, the bottle should be of glass.’
‘Of glass it is,’ replied the man, sighing more heavily than ever; ‘but the glass of it was tempered in the flames of hell. An imp lives in it, and that is the shadow we behold there moving: or so I suppose. If any man buy this bottle the imp is at his command; all that he desires—love, fame, money, houses like this house, ay, or a city like this city—all are his at the word uttered.’ ”
The man goes on to say that Napoleon once owned it, sold it, and then died. Captain Cook likewise. Keawe can’t resist.
The author has what I find a humorous claim at the beginning:
“Note.—Any student of that very unliterary product, the English drama of the early part of the century, will here recognise the name and the root idea of a piece once rendered popular by the redoubtable O. Smith. The root idea is there and identical, and yet I hope I have made it a new thing. And the fact that the tale has been designed and written for a Polynesian audience may lend it some extraneous interest nearer home.—R. L. S.”
I don’t know who “O. Smith” was, nor do I know why Stevenson considered the English drama from the early part of the 1800s to be “unliterary”. I also don’t know why the decided to write his version based in Hawaii for a Polynesian audience, but there it is.
The style is stilted, making it sound like a folktale, in fact, like a translated folktale, which suits the story.
This is another example of be careful what you wish for, but I did like the way this one finished.
It is one of the stories from The Short Story Club, which you can join here. The moderator always provides a copy of the story if you don't have the current collection being discussed. You can join the conversation or just read what people think.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I read it in Stevenson’s An Island Night's Entertainment, which you can read or download free from Project Gutenberg.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/329
June 8, 2024
A bit of musical chairs with a magic bottle. The bottle grants wishes, but the person who dies with it in his possession goes straight to hell. To complicate matters, each person, to rid himself of the bottle, must sell it for less than he paid for it. Of course, sooner or later the sale becomes impossible.
Excellent rethinking of a fairytale, with a great moral at its core, and some thought-stirring about love, sacrifice and greed.
Excellent rethinking of a fairytale, with a great moral at its core, and some thought-stirring about love, sacrifice and greed.
July 11, 2020
ENGLISH ⬇⬇⬇
Primera, lo siento a los hispanohablantes que leen mi reseña. Por Seguro, yo escribo como un borracho con intelecto muy cuestionable pero te lo aseguro…No estoy borracho.
Yo compré una copia de este libro en español en una librería en Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, hace un par de años. Yo Estaba buscando por algunos libros en español antes de regresar a Australia y las librerías en Sudamérica, en general, parecen ser pocas. Yo Tenía prisa y vi el título 'El Diablo En La Botella' y la palabra 'clásico' en la portada del libro y pensé "¡Fantástico!", una buena novela corta y clásica en español, yo debería poder leer eso. Pues, rápidamente me di cuenta que pertenecía a un autor escocés que también escribió "El extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll y Mr Hyde" y absolutamente no es un clásico español, pero eso no es ni aquí ni allá.
"El Diablo En La Botella" de Robert Louis Stevenson se lee como un antiguo cuento de hadas. Sigue a un hombre, Keawe, quien después de ser completamente impresionado por una calle de casas hermosas en San Francisco, es engañado por el dueño de una de esas casas para comprar una botella que contiene un diablillo que puede cumplir todos sus deseos. El hombre dice que el diablillo puede darle todo lo que quiera con el único inconveniente de que el que muera mientras esté en posesión de la botella estará destinado a pasar una eternidad en los fuegos del infierno y solo puede vender la botella a otro por menos del precio que pagaste. Honestamente, decir más arruinaria esta historia muy corta, pero recomiendo leerla usted mismo. La novela trata sobre el contraste entre el bien y el mal, o más precisamente el amor y el mal, y lo que estamos preparado a sacrificar en nombre del amor. Si el destino es adecuado por el protagonista es una cuestión de opinión. Normalmente podrias leer esta novela en una hora o menos, pero yo estaba leyendo inglés y español de lado a lado entonces me llevó varios. ¡Una lectura rápida y cautivadora que recomiendo mucho!
I picked up a Spanish copy of this at a bookshop in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela a couple of years back. I was on a hunt for some Spanish language books before we headed back home and book shops in South America, in general, seem to be few and far between. I was in a hurry and saw the title ‘El Diablo En La Botella’ and the word ‘classico’ on the cover of the book and thought “Fantastic!”, a nice short, classic Spanish novella, I should be able to read that. Well, I quickly found it belonged to a Scottish author who also penned ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ and is not at all a Spanish classic, but that’s neither here nor there.
‘The Bottle Imp’ by Robert Louis Stevenson reads like an ancient fairytale. It follows a man, Keawe, who after being utterly awed by a street of impressive houses in San Francisco is fooled by an owner of one of said houses into buying a bottle containing a wish-fulfilling imp. The man says the imp can give him whatever he wishes with the only catch being that he who dies while in possession of the bottle will be destined to spend an eternity in the fires of hell and you may only sell the bottle to another for less than the price that you paid. Honestly, to say anymore would spoil this very short story but I would highly recommend reading it for yourself. The novella deals with the contrast between good and evil, or more precisely love and evil, and what we are prepared to sacrifice in the name of love. Whether the fate of the protagonist is earned is a matter of opinion.
You could typically read this novella in an hour or less, though reading English and Spanish side by side took me several. A fast, captivating read that I highly recommend!
Primera, lo siento a los hispanohablantes que leen mi reseña. Por Seguro, yo escribo como un borracho con intelecto muy cuestionable pero te lo aseguro…No estoy borracho.
Yo compré una copia de este libro en español en una librería en Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, hace un par de años. Yo Estaba buscando por algunos libros en español antes de regresar a Australia y las librerías en Sudamérica, en general, parecen ser pocas. Yo Tenía prisa y vi el título 'El Diablo En La Botella' y la palabra 'clásico' en la portada del libro y pensé "¡Fantástico!", una buena novela corta y clásica en español, yo debería poder leer eso. Pues, rápidamente me di cuenta que pertenecía a un autor escocés que también escribió "El extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll y Mr Hyde" y absolutamente no es un clásico español, pero eso no es ni aquí ni allá.
"El Diablo En La Botella" de Robert Louis Stevenson se lee como un antiguo cuento de hadas. Sigue a un hombre, Keawe, quien después de ser completamente impresionado por una calle de casas hermosas en San Francisco, es engañado por el dueño de una de esas casas para comprar una botella que contiene un diablillo que puede cumplir todos sus deseos. El hombre dice que el diablillo puede darle todo lo que quiera con el único inconveniente de que el que muera mientras esté en posesión de la botella estará destinado a pasar una eternidad en los fuegos del infierno y solo puede vender la botella a otro por menos del precio que pagaste. Honestamente, decir más arruinaria esta historia muy corta, pero recomiendo leerla usted mismo. La novela trata sobre el contraste entre el bien y el mal, o más precisamente el amor y el mal, y lo que estamos preparado a sacrificar en nombre del amor. Si el destino es adecuado por el protagonista es una cuestión de opinión. Normalmente podrias leer esta novela en una hora o menos, pero yo estaba leyendo inglés y español de lado a lado entonces me llevó varios. ¡Una lectura rápida y cautivadora que recomiendo mucho!
I picked up a Spanish copy of this at a bookshop in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela a couple of years back. I was on a hunt for some Spanish language books before we headed back home and book shops in South America, in general, seem to be few and far between. I was in a hurry and saw the title ‘El Diablo En La Botella’ and the word ‘classico’ on the cover of the book and thought “Fantastic!”, a nice short, classic Spanish novella, I should be able to read that. Well, I quickly found it belonged to a Scottish author who also penned ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ and is not at all a Spanish classic, but that’s neither here nor there.
‘The Bottle Imp’ by Robert Louis Stevenson reads like an ancient fairytale. It follows a man, Keawe, who after being utterly awed by a street of impressive houses in San Francisco is fooled by an owner of one of said houses into buying a bottle containing a wish-fulfilling imp. The man says the imp can give him whatever he wishes with the only catch being that he who dies while in possession of the bottle will be destined to spend an eternity in the fires of hell and you may only sell the bottle to another for less than the price that you paid. Honestly, to say anymore would spoil this very short story but I would highly recommend reading it for yourself. The novella deals with the contrast between good and evil, or more precisely love and evil, and what we are prepared to sacrifice in the name of love. Whether the fate of the protagonist is earned is a matter of opinion.
You could typically read this novella in an hour or less, though reading English and Spanish side by side took me several. A fast, captivating read that I highly recommend!
August 18, 2017
One of my favourite story. That's quite another kind of genie in a bottle or Aladdin. Absolute classic and clear recommendation for everyone. I first heard this story within a reading in the dark event some years ago. A blind man was reading this story in a dark room... Every antiquary be aware of this bottle (imp)!
September 23, 2024
Delizioso racconto fantastico di Robert Louis Stevenson che ruota attorno a una portentosa bottiglia in grado di esaudire ogni desiderio di chi la possiede, fu grazie ad essa che Napoleone divenne imperatore, e il merito è tutto del diavolo sigillato al suo interno. Ha un unico inconveniente: chi la possiede, se non se ne sbarazza prima di morire, è destinato alla dannazione eterna; bisogna venderla, presto, e sempre a un prezzo inferiore a quello dell’acquisto, è la regola. Ma se il prezzo scendesse troppo e diventasse così basso da rischiare di non riuscire più a venderla? O peggio ancora se, dopo averla venduta, si avesse di nuovo bisogno dei suoi poteri, come fare per riacquistarla e trovare un nuovo gonzo a cui rivenderla?
Stevenson prende la fiaba araba della lampada di Aladino e la riscrive aggiungendoci il tema del patto col diavolo preso dal folclore europeo, il risultato è un gustosissimo racconto di perfetta sintesi fra Oriente e Occidente.
Stevenson prende la fiaba araba della lampada di Aladino e la riscrive aggiungendoci il tema del patto col diavolo preso dal folclore europeo, il risultato è un gustosissimo racconto di perfetta sintesi fra Oriente e Occidente.
June 7, 2024
As the story started, it seemed like Stevenson was writing a Hawaiian folktale using a combination of the "genie in the bottle who grants wishes," and the "selling your soul to the devil" story ideas. As the story progresses, themes emerge of love and sacrificing yourself for a loved one. The ending has a little twist with the introduction of the character who was expected to be the last owner of the bottle.
The holder of the bottle is not just making decisions about their own fate, but also about whether the next holder of the bottle might spend eternity in hell. Kokoa said:
"Is it not a terrible thing to save oneself by the eternal ruin of another? It seems to me I could not laugh. I would be humbled. I would be filled with melancholy. I would pray for the poor holder."
I read this horror story with the Short Story Club. It's from the anthology, "Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Fiction."
The holder of the bottle is not just making decisions about their own fate, but also about whether the next holder of the bottle might spend eternity in hell. Kokoa said:
"Is it not a terrible thing to save oneself by the eternal ruin of another? It seems to me I could not laugh. I would be humbled. I would be filled with melancholy. I would pray for the poor holder."
I read this horror story with the Short Story Club. It's from the anthology, "Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Fiction."
June 9, 2024
I enjoyed this three wishes/genie in a bottle tale. This genie is actually a devil, and the person tempted to buy the bottle in order to have their wishes granted quickly realizes they have purchased a dangerous burden. Told in a fairy tale tone, with interesting characters and a hint of Hawaiian atmosphere.
Fun and creative, and made me realize it’s time I finally read Treasure Island.
Fun and creative, and made me realize it’s time I finally read Treasure Island.
May 27, 2018
2018
Releí este cuento mientras esperaba el almuerzo en un local de pastas donde debo una larga cuenta de momentos bonitos, y entre cuya decoración hay una selección de libros cortos para niños donde brillan Stevenson y Dahl. Venía teniendo un día más bien llevado del diablo, y leer a este diablo me alivió la carga. El poder de la ficción es entrar a entregarnos herramientas con las cuales lidiar en la batalla cotidiana. Stevenson lo logra. Soy, de vez en cuando, ese personaje del poema de Borges que agradece por la fantasía que nos queda. Por la aventura todavía posible en las islas y en los mares. Por los finales felices... Bah, escribí demasiado pronto. A veces uno es el que pagó un céntimo. Y punto.
Releí este cuento mientras esperaba el almuerzo en un local de pastas donde debo una larga cuenta de momentos bonitos, y entre cuya decoración hay una selección de libros cortos para niños donde brillan Stevenson y Dahl. Venía teniendo un día más bien llevado del diablo, y leer a este diablo me alivió la carga. El poder de la ficción es entrar a entregarnos herramientas con las cuales lidiar en la batalla cotidiana. Stevenson lo logra. Soy, de vez en cuando, ese personaje del poema de Borges que agradece por la fantasía que nos queda. Por la aventura todavía posible en las islas y en los mares. Por los finales felices... Bah, escribí demasiado pronto. A veces uno es el que pagó un céntimo. Y punto.
November 9, 2021
"Su cristal ha sido templado en las llamas del infierno"
"El diablo en la botella", "El diablo de la botella" o "El diablo embotellado" es una novela corta del mismo escritor que "La isla del tesoro" y "El extraño caso de Dr. Jekyll y Mr Hyde". Esta edición ilustrada contiene una buena ambientación aunque los dibujos me sonaron un poco a cómic.
La historia narra lo que sucede a Keawe, nombre que oculta (según el autor) a un poblador de Hawái, quien siendo muy pobre va a pasear por la gran ciudad de San Francisco, allí un viejo taciturno y agobiado de penas le vende una botella. Parece que la misma puede cumplir todo lo que uno quiera pero tiene la maldición de tener un demonio dentro que te llevará al infierno a menos que te deshagas de la botella antes de morir. Todo el asunto de la botella desde luego tiene su ritual y sus reglas específicas.
Lo que llama la atención desde luego es la historia en sí, no el desarrollo o la psicología de sus personajes. Es una narración lineal, simple y por momentos muy directa con algún atisbo infantil. Muy comprensible.
Mayormente somos testigos de la angustia de cómo acabará la historia y cómo los personajes tienen un miedo enorme a las consecuencias de sus actos aunque a veces su ambición puede más que ellos.
Me gustó el tema, parece que el autor era muy versátil y podía escribir historias diversas e interesantes. El acabado y el contenido en sí me parecieron regular.
"El diablo en la botella", "El diablo de la botella" o "El diablo embotellado" es una novela corta del mismo escritor que "La isla del tesoro" y "El extraño caso de Dr. Jekyll y Mr Hyde". Esta edición ilustrada contiene una buena ambientación aunque los dibujos me sonaron un poco a cómic.
La historia narra lo que sucede a Keawe, nombre que oculta (según el autor) a un poblador de Hawái, quien siendo muy pobre va a pasear por la gran ciudad de San Francisco, allí un viejo taciturno y agobiado de penas le vende una botella. Parece que la misma puede cumplir todo lo que uno quiera pero tiene la maldición de tener un demonio dentro que te llevará al infierno a menos que te deshagas de la botella antes de morir. Todo el asunto de la botella desde luego tiene su ritual y sus reglas específicas.
Lo que llama la atención desde luego es la historia en sí, no el desarrollo o la psicología de sus personajes. Es una narración lineal, simple y por momentos muy directa con algún atisbo infantil. Muy comprensible.
Mayormente somos testigos de la angustia de cómo acabará la historia y cómo los personajes tienen un miedo enorme a las consecuencias de sus actos aunque a veces su ambición puede más que ellos.
Me gustó el tema, parece que el autor era muy versátil y podía escribir historias diversas e interesantes. El acabado y el contenido en sí me parecieron regular.
July 31, 2020
Freaky story. This guy sells a bottle that gives you anything you want, but you have to sell it before you die or you burn in hell forever. Devil deal. You must sell for less than you bought it, and currency doesn't diminish forever. So this guy wishes for a great house on the beach and he gets it, but his uncle dies. He takes over his uncle's house. He finally sells it and falls in love. Blind love. Stupid love. He buys it back to get her, and gets her, but now he's miserable. So she learns of it, and the wheel to hell spins and new passengers ride over the brink.
August 7, 2020
Una excelente historia que esta narrada en forma de cuento. El libro nos muestra por un lado lo que la avaricia del ser humano puede llegar a hacer con tal de obtener lo que se quiere y al mismo tiempo de como esta dispuesto a sacrificarse con tal de ver a los suyos felices.
Este relato se puede extrapolar a una especie de moraleja que podría ser la siguiente, la bondad es racional porque, aún no pareciéndola en ocasiones, es justificable ya que actúa de corazón, mientras que la maldad es irracional porque se mueve empujada por el egoísmo y la sinrazón.
Este relato se puede extrapolar a una especie de moraleja que podría ser la siguiente, la bondad es racional porque, aún no pareciéndola en ocasiones, es justificable ya que actúa de corazón, mientras que la maldad es irracional porque se mueve empujada por el egoísmo y la sinrazón.
December 31, 2020
Una de las historias que más me ha generado desesperación y miedo. Me la pasé en las últimas páginas prácticamente en tensión.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2014
A tale on the classic theme of ‘The Problems With Wishes.’ A man comes across the remarkable opportunity to buy a bottle containing an imp – who, genie-like, will fulfill all the wishes of his owner. The catch? If the owner dies in possession of the bottle, he or she will be damned for all eternity. The bottle cannot be given away, only sold – and it may only be sold for a lesser price than it was bought for.
It’s a great set-up, and Stevenson does it full justice.
It’s also worth mentioning that the main characters are native Hawaiian – the setting was based on Stevenson’s 1889 travels in the then-independent Hawaii. There is no ‘exotification’ of the characters’ background at all – interestingly, the story was first published in the Samoan language, according to Stevenson, ‘for a Polynesian audience.’
It’s a great set-up, and Stevenson does it full justice.
It’s also worth mentioning that the main characters are native Hawaiian – the setting was based on Stevenson’s 1889 travels in the then-independent Hawaii. There is no ‘exotification’ of the characters’ background at all – interestingly, the story was first published in the Samoan language, according to Stevenson, ‘for a Polynesian audience.’
November 9, 2021
The saying, 'be careful what you wish for' came to mind as I read this classic story. The bottle containing the Imp comes with a very high price. Indeed, our main character, Keawe says, "It is better than I dreamed, and I am sick with satisfaction."
Overall, this appeared to me as a love story and an illustration of strength of character. Keawe falls in love with Kokua at first sight and as the author writes, "things had gone quickly; but so an arrow goes, and the ball of a rifle swifter still, and yet both may strike the target." A great story from a master storyteller.
Overall, this appeared to me as a love story and an illustration of strength of character. Keawe falls in love with Kokua at first sight and as the author writes, "things had gone quickly; but so an arrow goes, and the ball of a rifle swifter still, and yet both may strike the target." A great story from a master storyteller.
August 8, 2022
The tale older than time, pacts with devils, is explored in a linear timeline as the purchase of a bottle containing an imp capable of granting any wish. The accursed remains tightly linked to its purchaser until such a time as said person might sell the bottle for less than they purchased it. One can gauge the level of anxiety this might induce should you be seeking to rid yourself of a demon.
Though this is a short story it felt interminably long. The premise was intriguing & I did want to know what would happen to each person & subsequently to the devil inside the unbreakable bottle. However, the ending left much to be desired.
The conclusion felt too convenient. Having spent so much time reading about the despair of the couple, it would have been interesting to see them actually have to deal with it for an elongated period of time.
Regardless of that, I still think it is worth the short time it took, to read this little piece of dreadful joy in written form.
Though this is a short story it felt interminably long. The premise was intriguing & I did want to know what would happen to each person & subsequently to the devil inside the unbreakable bottle. However, the ending left much to be desired.
The conclusion felt too convenient. Having spent so much time reading about the despair of the couple, it would have been interesting to see them actually have to deal with it for an elongated period of time.
Regardless of that, I still think it is worth the short time it took, to read this little piece of dreadful joy in written form.
January 6, 2016
الصفقة بسيطة...
ستحصل على زجاجة بها جني يحقق لك كل آمالك...
يمكن أن تبيعها لاحقا لأي شخص لكن ستبيعها بثمن أقل من الثمن الذي دفعته أنت فيها..
لو بقيت معك الزجاجة حتى الموت ستكون روحك في الجحيم..
هكذا الصفقة..
ماذا ستفعل؟ توافق عليها؟؟
لا... الموضوع ليس بهذه البساطة..
ما أدراك بوجود شخصا سيشتريها منك؟؟
ما أدراك أنك ستعيش إلى أن تبيع الزجاجة؟
ماذا لو اشتريت الزجاجة بقرشين ؟ أنت تدرك بالطبع أنك لو بعتها ستبيعيها بقرش واحد و في هذه اللحظة فالمشتري لن يمكنه أبدا بيعها مجددا!
ماذا لو اشتريت أنت الزجاجة بقرش واحد؟!
هل تخاطر بروحك؟
هل تخاطر بدخول جهنم من أجل متعة لحظية في الدنيا؟
هل ستسمح لنفسك بالحصول على السعادة على حساب تعاسة شخص آخر قد لا تكون حتى تعرفه؟؟!
هل ستتقبل أن تحصل على السعادة إذا كانت تعني دخول شخصا آخر لجهنم؟!
إنها لمعضلة..
تخيلت نفسي كثيرا في موضوع هذا الاختيار.. ماذا كنت سأفعل؟
وجدتني أرفض المشاركة في هذه الصفقة.. حتى مع ماديتي الشديدة..
ولكن....؟
أهى تعتبر تضحية تجاه الآخرين إذا ما قررت أن احتفظ بالزجاجة للأبد و أمنعها أن تدمر حياة شخصا آخر؟!
ماذا لو كان هذا الشخص شخصا عزيزا عليك.. مقربا منك.. هل كنت لتقدم على هذه التضحية؟؟
ستيفنسون يترك السؤال معلقا.. لا يجيب عليه..
ستيفنسون يجبر القارئ على التفكير في معنى السعادة و ثمنها..
ستيفنسون يجبر القارئ على التفكير في أهمية العلاقات الإنسانية..
ستيفنسون يجبر القارئ على التفكير في تحديد أولويات الحياة...
إنه لا يترك أجوبة.. انه فقط يجعل القارئ يعيش هذه المعضلة بنفسه و يستنتج الاجابات لنفسه...
هذه واحدة من أجمل ما قرأت مؤخرا.. و ستظل عالقة بذهني طويلا جدا..
ستحصل على زجاجة بها جني يحقق لك كل آمالك...
يمكن أن تبيعها لاحقا لأي شخص لكن ستبيعها بثمن أقل من الثمن الذي دفعته أنت فيها..
لو بقيت معك الزجاجة حتى الموت ستكون روحك في الجحيم..
هكذا الصفقة..
ماذا ستفعل؟ توافق عليها؟؟
لا... الموضوع ليس بهذه البساطة..
ما أدراك بوجود شخصا سيشتريها منك؟؟
ما أدراك أنك ستعيش إلى أن تبيع الزجاجة؟
ماذا لو اشتريت الزجاجة بقرشين ؟ أنت تدرك بالطبع أنك لو بعتها ستبيعيها بقرش واحد و في هذه اللحظة فالمشتري لن يمكنه أبدا بيعها مجددا!
ماذا لو اشتريت أنت الزجاجة بقرش واحد؟!
هل تخاطر بروحك؟
هل تخاطر بدخول جهنم من أجل متعة لحظية في الدنيا؟
هل ستسمح لنفسك بالحصول على السعادة على حساب تعاسة شخص آخر قد لا تكون حتى تعرفه؟؟!
هل ستتقبل أن تحصل على السعادة إذا كانت تعني دخول شخصا آخر لجهنم؟!
إنها لمعضلة..
تخيلت نفسي كثيرا في موضوع هذا الاختيار.. ماذا كنت سأفعل؟
وجدتني أرفض المشاركة في هذه الصفقة.. حتى مع ماديتي الشديدة..
ولكن....؟
أهى تعتبر تضحية تجاه الآخرين إذا ما قررت أن احتفظ بالزجاجة للأبد و أمنعها أن تدمر حياة شخصا آخر؟!
ماذا لو كان هذا الشخص شخصا عزيزا عليك.. مقربا منك.. هل كنت لتقدم على هذه التضحية؟؟
ستيفنسون يترك السؤال معلقا.. لا يجيب عليه..
ستيفنسون يجبر القارئ على التفكير في معنى السعادة و ثمنها..
ستيفنسون يجبر القارئ على التفكير في أهمية العلاقات الإنسانية..
ستيفنسون يجبر القارئ على التفكير في تحديد أولويات الحياة...
إنه لا يترك أجوبة.. انه فقط يجعل القارئ يعيش هذه المعضلة بنفسه و يستنتج الاجابات لنفسه...
هذه واحدة من أجمل ما قرأت مؤخرا.. و ستظل عالقة بذهني طويلا جدا..
October 2, 2017
3/5
Leído para el club de lectura La Cafetería de Audrey.
Relato cortito de Stevenson con el que me inicio con el autor. Cuando digo cortito me refiero a muy cortito, unas 40 páginas. Como tal, no puedo hablar de la trama, los personajes, etc. No da tiempo a desarrollar ninguno de estos temas. Simplemente puedo decir que es entretenido, te mantiene enganchado a la espera de saber cómo va a terminar el protagonista. La idea también es bastante original y llamativa y lo que más me gustó, sin duda, fue la ambientación en Hawaii. Nunca había leído nada parecido.
Buen entrante para continuar con obras más completas de Stevenson.
Leído para el club de lectura La Cafetería de Audrey.
Relato cortito de Stevenson con el que me inicio con el autor. Cuando digo cortito me refiero a muy cortito, unas 40 páginas. Como tal, no puedo hablar de la trama, los personajes, etc. No da tiempo a desarrollar ninguno de estos temas. Simplemente puedo decir que es entretenido, te mantiene enganchado a la espera de saber cómo va a terminar el protagonista. La idea también es bastante original y llamativa y lo que más me gustó, sin duda, fue la ambientación en Hawaii. Nunca había leído nada parecido.
Buen entrante para continuar con obras más completas de Stevenson.
June 10, 2024
If only eschatology depended on currency markets. This is a classic case of a wish granting talisman steered towards eternal musical chairs. Balzac did it better but I did enjoy the aspect of lurking damnation, it reminded me of the sexually transmitted curse in the film It Follows (2014).
Having most of the characters being Polynesian felt slightly off.
Having most of the characters being Polynesian felt slightly off.
October 19, 2017
Reto de la Mansión Encantada. Sexto libro.
Entretenido, muy fácil de leer y muy cortito :) Sin duda es bueno para entretenerse un rato, a pesar de ser un relato me pareció que estaba muy bien.
Entretenido, muy fácil de leer y muy cortito :) Sin duda es bueno para entretenerse un rato, a pesar de ser un relato me pareció que estaba muy bien.
March 6, 2015
Me lo dieron para leer en el colegio. No me acuerdo mucho de la trama, pero sí recuerdo que lo disfrute mucho. De las mejores novelas que me obligaron a leer.
November 24, 2015
"There is a man of the island of Hawaii, whom I shall call Keawe; for the truth is, he still lives, and his name must be kept secret, but the place of his birth was not far from Honaunau, where the bones of Keawe the Great lie hidden in a cave. This man was poor, brave, and active, he could read and write like a schoolmaster, he was a first-rate mariner besides, sailed for some time in the island steamers, and steered a whaleboat on the Hamakua coast. At length it came in Keawe's mind to have a sight of the great world and foreign cities, and he shipped on a vessel bound to San Francisco..."
It is here in San Francisco Keawe finds a particular hill with palatial homes and thinks, "These houses are awesome. All the folks around here must be stoked!" [my quote, not RLS's]. But what does he find instead?
Imagine walking through your dream neighborhood and seeing that the people who own these great houses and live in the lap of luxury aren't happy at all. In fact, they're miserable, as if cursed. Keawe finds himself opposite such a man, looking into the window of one of these palaces. He finds himself locking eyes with an unhappy man looking out, acting as a kind of mirror into Keawe's own soul. Or, in this moment, there is a kind of doubling familiar in Stevenson's works.
"For her part, Harmon highlights Stevenson’s “doubleness.” The ambidextrous author of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” recalled in a letter to psychical researcher F.W.H. Myers how, when sick as a child, he had often been aware of having “two consciousnesses.” He called these “Myself” and “the other fellow.” The former was his everyday, common-sense self, the latter his irrational, absurd “other” self." (Frank Wilson on Claire Harmon's biography of RLS)
The man in the window is unhappy because he has this bottle, and there's an imp living in it, really a kind of devil, and this devil weighs on a person's conscience. As long as the man has this bottle, which exacerbates his anxiety and his lust for wealth and power and ensures him entrance into the mosh pits of hell, he will be a wreck. Fortunately for him, Keawe takes it off his hands.
I have heard spoken that there is no accumulation of wealth without violence, and perhaps this book is about material wealth and moral bankruptcy. But then again, maybe it's not. For as long as a person gets rid of the bottle in time (as long as one takes enough from it but not too much), they'll be okay in the end.
But if a person holds on to the bottle and it's in their possession upon death, well, the afterlife will be no picnic to say the least.
The moral of the story: It's okay to sell your soul to the devil for a little while? We're all brave until we have something to lose? The things we do for love often make us miserable? If we strategize, our sins will be forgiven in time to clear our conscience for death? Even if we make ourselves hellishly miserable trying to get to the happy ever after place, we can still get there if someone else is more morally bankrupt than we are.
There is something about scapegoating in here (if can see else as worse than we are, we can live more easily with ourselves).
And something about dissociating (if we can cut off from and deny the predatory parts of ourselves then we can have some sort of happily ever after).
It's hard to say exactly what kind of moral universe we are living in with The Bottle Imp, which is one of the things that makes it a delight. It's shuffling smoothly between a registers -- fairy tale, folk tale, hero tale, short story, gothic/horror tale, social-economic philosophical inquiry. There also seems in it conversation with certain novelistic forms. I say that because there's something in the set up of this story that seems to praise and mock the idea of the novelistic hero. But who knows. I don't know. I'm not a big fan of short fiction, but I enjoyed this story a lot.
It is here in San Francisco Keawe finds a particular hill with palatial homes and thinks, "These houses are awesome. All the folks around here must be stoked!" [my quote, not RLS's]. But what does he find instead?
Imagine walking through your dream neighborhood and seeing that the people who own these great houses and live in the lap of luxury aren't happy at all. In fact, they're miserable, as if cursed. Keawe finds himself opposite such a man, looking into the window of one of these palaces. He finds himself locking eyes with an unhappy man looking out, acting as a kind of mirror into Keawe's own soul. Or, in this moment, there is a kind of doubling familiar in Stevenson's works.
"For her part, Harmon highlights Stevenson’s “doubleness.” The ambidextrous author of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” recalled in a letter to psychical researcher F.W.H. Myers how, when sick as a child, he had often been aware of having “two consciousnesses.” He called these “Myself” and “the other fellow.” The former was his everyday, common-sense self, the latter his irrational, absurd “other” self." (Frank Wilson on Claire Harmon's biography of RLS)
The man in the window is unhappy because he has this bottle, and there's an imp living in it, really a kind of devil, and this devil weighs on a person's conscience. As long as the man has this bottle, which exacerbates his anxiety and his lust for wealth and power and ensures him entrance into the mosh pits of hell, he will be a wreck. Fortunately for him, Keawe takes it off his hands.
I have heard spoken that there is no accumulation of wealth without violence, and perhaps this book is about material wealth and moral bankruptcy. But then again, maybe it's not. For as long as a person gets rid of the bottle in time (as long as one takes enough from it but not too much), they'll be okay in the end.
But if a person holds on to the bottle and it's in their possession upon death, well, the afterlife will be no picnic to say the least.
The moral of the story: It's okay to sell your soul to the devil for a little while? We're all brave until we have something to lose? The things we do for love often make us miserable? If we strategize, our sins will be forgiven in time to clear our conscience for death? Even if we make ourselves hellishly miserable trying to get to the happy ever after place, we can still get there if someone else is more morally bankrupt than we are.
There is something about scapegoating in here (if can see else as worse than we are, we can live more easily with ourselves).
And something about dissociating (if we can cut off from and deny the predatory parts of ourselves then we can have some sort of happily ever after).
It's hard to say exactly what kind of moral universe we are living in with The Bottle Imp, which is one of the things that makes it a delight. It's shuffling smoothly between a registers -- fairy tale, folk tale, hero tale, short story, gothic/horror tale, social-economic philosophical inquiry. There also seems in it conversation with certain novelistic forms. I say that because there's something in the set up of this story that seems to praise and mock the idea of the novelistic hero. But who knows. I don't know. I'm not a big fan of short fiction, but I enjoyed this story a lot.
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