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  • Essay / Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl: Hamartia of a Tragic Hero

    Hamartia is the Greek word for a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. In Roald Dahl's Skin and Other Stories collection, many characters reveal their “Hamartia”. In Dip in the Pool, a story in which Mr. Botibol bets all his money and it causes him to die, Mr. Botibol reveals his "Hamartia". But greed, stupidity, and impulsiveness are the three essential flaws that act as the catalyst for Mr. Botibol's downfall in "Dip in the Pool." In "Dip in the Pool", greed is a flawed characteristic that Mr. Botibol displays throughout the story. At the auction, in which guests bet on the ship's estimated arrival time, Mr. Botibol's greedy characteristics get the better of him. Mr. Botibol gets out of control with the bet: "'Two hundred!' Mr. Botibol called. He wouldn’t stop now – for anyone” (Dahl 136). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayMr. The gluttony of Botibol is for him the beginning of the end. He was so greedy that he couldn't think of anything else. He talks about how he would buy a Lincoln convertible and charge them in hundred dollar bills; he only thought about himself and the money during the auction. His selflessness was also demonstrated when he dedicated two years to his wife and her savings. Mr Botibol let money go to his head and this obviously led to his downfall. By the end of the auction night, Mr. Botibol had the idea that he was rich in his head. At the end of the auction night, the actor added up the pot and Roald Dahl said: "They added it up after the last issue was sold and it came out to twenty - hundred - odd pounds . » (136). Such a sum of money drove Mr. Botibol crazy. He became greedy and he explicitly explains how great his life would be. His arrogance and greed caused him to not appreciate the wonderful things in life like his family and his wife. Taking into account two years of savings, it shows that his and his wife's future is dictated by Mr. Botibol's greed. Money got to Mr. Botibol's head and that was another reason that led to his downfall. Another problem is that Mr. Botibol's greed begins to cloud his vision and causes him to have irrational thoughts. After realizing that the boat would not arrive in the "low bowl" timing, Dahl explains Mr. Botibol's thoughts by saying, "Well, he figured, why not?" Why not ? The sea was calm and he would have no difficulty staying afloat until they recovered him” (138). Mr. Botibol's ideas became so extreme that he was willing to jump ship and risk his life just because he wouldn't get a sum of money. He did not think of other realistic and rational scenarios; he only thought about dramatic and irrational situations. This is another example of why his greed led to his downfall. Overall, all of the negative characteristics highlighted by Mr. Botibol, namely his loss of control, his thinking that he is going to get rich, and his irrational thinking, were caused by his greedy mindset which served as a catalyst for his fall in “Dip”. in the pool”.