Poison story
This story is set in India during the time of British colonialism. Narrator Timber Woods goes to visit his friend Harry Pope. Harry is in bed, motionless, sweating, and in a panic. He whispers that a krait, one of the deadliest snakes, is on his stomach, underneath the covers. He asks Timber to go get a doctor; Timber calls Dr. Ganderbai, a local Indian doctor. Timber and Ganderbai frantically try to get the snake off of Harry to save his life. But they find no snake on Harry; perhaps it has gone, perhaps Harry imagined the snake. When he realizes this, Harry is so relieved that he attacks Ganderbai with racial slurs. The real poison in the room is not the snake's; it is the racist's. Ganderbai walks out of the room and tells Timber that Harry needs a vacation. Directed by: Graham Evans. Story by: Roald Dahl.
9 total · 1 choice · 3 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| human vs. venomous animal | choice | Central to the story was the aftermath of a krait having slithered into Harry's bed. |
| alcohol abuse | major | Harry Pope had a problem with alcohol that he was trying to overcome. |
| extramarital affair | major | Sandra was cheating on her husband with Timber. |
| selfishness | major | Sandra was extraordinarily selfish and stole Dr. Ganderbai's car. |
| medical occupation | minor | Dr. Ganderbai frantically tried to get the snake off of Harry to save his life. |
| one night stand | minor | Timber appeared to have sneaked Sandra over to Harry's place for a one night stand. |
| overcoming an addiction | minor | Harry was struggling to stop drinking. |
| racism in society | minor | Harry spouted racial slurs at Dr. Ganderbai for the doctor suggesting that Harry may have imagined the krait. |
| resisting a temptation | minor | Harry was struggling to resist having a drink. |