Dip in the Pool story
While traveling on a cruise ship, William Botibol bets heavily in a betting pool on how many miles the ship travels every day. When the ship goes faster than William expected, he decides to jump off the ship to force it to stop. He makes sure that a young woman, Emily, is there to see him jump, assuming that she will call for help. Emily is intellectually disabled, and does not react after he goes over. Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock. Story by: Roald Dahl.
10 total · 6 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| desperation | major | William became increasingly desperate to recoup his gambling losses to the point where he jumped overboard in an ill-advised bid to reverse his fortunes. |
| facing financial ruin | major | Mr. Botibol gambled away he and his wife's $15,000 in vacation money which they planned to spend once in Europe. |
| gambling | major | The transatlantic cruise goers were amusing themselves on the voyage by taking part in a betting pool on how many miles the ship would travel each day. |
| husband and wife | major | The story follows William and Ethel Botibol on their a transatlantic voyage to Europe. The well-to-do Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw. |
| problem gambling | major | William gambled away all of his and Ethel's $15,000 vacation money in an ill-considered bet. |
| what it is like on a passenger liner | major | The story is set on a transatlantic voyage from the United States to Europe. |
| ironic twist of fate | minor | Botibol had carefully arranged things so that when he jumped overboard he would be saved by the screams of a nearby woman. By an ironic twist of fate, the woman in question was intellectually disabled (sic) and neither cried out nor was believed later. Botibol was left to perish at sea. |
| seasickness | minor | William took pills to help with sea sickness. |
| snobbishness | minor | The well-to-do Mrs. Renshaw looked down at Mr. Botibol for wearing a plaid dinner jacket. |
| the need for rest and recreation | minor | In his monologue, Alfred Hitchcock explained about how he was on an ocean cruise vacation to get away from the rigors of television for awhile. |