Notes on Switch Bitch by Roald Dahl

***warning: spoilers***

First and foremost...WHAT a reLIEF these short stories were after reading The Girls. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this collection from a moral perspective, but hot daYUM Dahl is a wonderful storyteller and writer. The tales are written in a simple language with appropriate vocabulary that’s only flashy when natural. He uses his language to tell a story, not to prove anything else. THOUGH, amazing writer + sexist tendencies = conflicted Katie.

The Visitor

This story was told so nicely and unpredictably. Nothing from the body of the story could have led one to anticipate the complete resolution except for the fact that this event in Uncle Oswald’s life would be the one to lead to his ultimate demise. And I deeply appreciate that. I found this seemingly random closure tasteful and inspiring; I hope to write like that someday -- so tastefully random -- though I can’t help but continue to wonder about the daughter and the mother and their behavior the next morning. Did Abdul know what happened? Why did he allow for such a thing to take place?

The Great Switcheroo

Serves that douche right, but also they should both go to jail. Dahl has a knack for writing about sex, though he also has a knack for not actually describing the sex, copping out with,

“But I have no intention here of regaling the reader with bizarre details. I do not approve of washing juice linen in public.”

He did this with three out of the four texts here, though at the end of the day, I suppose that omitting these details does not take away from the overall purpose of the story -- after all, he’s obviously not out to write porn; he’s trying to translate the emotional complexities of sex.

The Last Act

This was horrible. I am too emotionally hurt and shocked by this that I refuse to comment. Well written, as usual. *applause.*

Bitch

...bitch WAT da FUCK. I just want to take a moment to appreciate the passage when Uncle Oswald himself experiences Bitch. Just take a hot second to reread this wonderful sentence representative of an entire paragraph:

“I was now a gigantic perpendicular penis, seven feet tall and as handsome as they come.”

This is a million dollar sentence, which I am so happy graced my consciousness BUT. BUT. What an awful disregard for the women who fall victim to this animalistic behavior. In general, I was bit disappointed by the sexism surrounding the female characters in all four stories, especially since each kept me well on the edge of my seat.

Side note: all these short stories were published in Playboy in the 60s and 70s, just to give you some food for thought.

I intend to read more of Dahl’s adult short stories, but I am also internally conflicted by the sexist messages that he translates.