The Bottle Imp

A parable is a didactic story that is meant to impart a moral or a lesson, often used in religious texts or in oral tradition. Since parables are primarily intended to teach, they are less concerned with realism or verisimilitude than other genres.

Like several other of Stevenson’s “South Sea Tales,” “The Bottle Imp” is a parable in the fairy tale tradition. It builds on the trope of the “deal with the devil” where the protagonist makes a bargain with an evil spirit that will end badly unless the main character can outwit the evil forces. In “The Bottle Imp,” Stevenson’s protagonist and his beloved prevail not through trickery, equating to malintent or sin, but because of their purity of heart and willingness to sacrifice everything, including their salvation, for one another.

Authors use foreshadowing to build suspense and hint at future events in the story. Throughout “The Bottle Imp,” Stevenson foreshadows the tragic and dangerous effects of owning the bottle. When Keawe meets the wealthy old man who owns the bottle, he remarks on the old man’s repeated sighs and sorrowful demeanor, as well as the fact that he is selling the bottle so cheap. This, coupled with the description of the bottle as containing shadows and its origin in hell, should be enough to alert readers to the fact that the owner of the bottle will probably regret the purchase. Adding to this is another layer of foreshadowing in that the narrator would not be reporting the story and the specifics of the bottle if it was not going to become a conflict. Shortly after gaining the bottle, Keawe receives word that his uncle and family members have perished, leaving him a rich man at the expense of his family. This is the first of many dangerous incidents the bottle leaves in its wake. The linearity of the narrative and the foreshadowing that the readers experience regularly throughout the story help deliver the moral of the parable in clear terms.