Summary of the Story
The South American doesn't think the lighter will work in the windy weather, and when the American insists it always does, the older man proposes a bet. 'Shall we not make a little bet on whether your lighter lights?'
If the American can light his lighter ten times in a row, the South American says he'll give him his new green Cadillac. The boy wants to know what happens if he loses. The man says, 'I never ask you, my friend, to bet something you cannot afford. You understand? . . . perhaps, de little finger of your left hand.'
Despite the disapproval of the narrator and the English woman, the American eventually agrees, and the four go up to the older man's room in the hotel. The narrator notices a woman's dressing gown or robe on the bed.
The South American makes everyone martinis and pays a hotel maid to bring him a hammer, nails, and a chopping knife, which she does. He hammers two nails into a table and expertly secures the American's left hand between them with string. The narrator thinks, 'Anyone would think the son of a bitch had done this before.'
The narrator counts each successful light. He gets to 'Seven!' and notes that the lighter is obviously a good one, and describes how the thumb is key to working it. The suspense is heightened.
Just after 'Eight!' an older woman rushes in, seizes the South American, whom she addresses as Carlos, and shakes him violently while berating him in what sounds like Spanish.
She apologizes to the others and explains that Carlos is a 'menace' and that he 'has taken altogether forty-seven fingers from different people, and he has lost eleven cars.' She's brought him to Jamaica to help him avoid institutionalization. She reveals that the Cadillac and everything Carlos once owned are hers because she won them from him. The narrator sees that her hand 'had only one finger on it, and a thumb.'
Analysis: Themes
'Man from the South' is part of a short story collection called Tales of the Unexpected, whose themes include risk-taking, cruelty, revenge, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) high-stakes betting. This narrative includes all of the above themes except for revenge, and it certainly features suspense and the unexpected. Most readers are expecting the American to either win or lose the bet, not be rescued from the risk.
A major theme in the narrative relates to assumptions. The narrator relies heavily on these, supposing that other characters are English, American, South American, or Spanish speakers. However, Dahl carefully presents these impressions as subjective. The American makes more dangerous assumptions, trusting that Carlos owns the Cadillac, will keep his word, and won't cause him more bodily harm than they've agreed upon. No one asks to see the car title or deed Carlos claims is in the car to see if his name is on it.
Another major theme involves motive and reasoning, which are largely and disturbingly absent in this story. We know the American is willing to risk his little finger for the Cadillac, but why would Carlos want his finger?
Why do the narrator and the English woman involve themselves in a wager that could end in gory mutilation? Why would the woman caring for Carlos sacrifice her own fingers multiple times, and why would she stay in a relationship with such a demented fiend? In leaving these questions unanswered, Dahl seems to be presenting the human mind as dangerous, irrational, amoral, and unpredictable.
Lesson Summary
Roald Dahl's 'Man from the South' is about an American man and a South American named Carlos who agree to a bet. If the American can get his cigarette lighter to light ten times in succession, he wins Carlos' Cadillac. If he loses, Carlos will chop off his little finger.
The narrator and an English woman watch as the lighter works eight times in a row. Then a woman rushes in and stops the bet, explaining that Carlos has already cut off forty-seven fingers and lost eleven cars. She's won everything he owns, including the Cadillac, but has clearly lost on some occasions, as she is missing three fingers herself.
We also learn that the collection in which this story was published is called Tales of the Unexpected and includes themes of risk-taking, cruelty, revenge, and high-stakes betting. There are at least two major themes in 'Man from the South:'
- Assumptions: the narrator makes assumptions about the characters' geographic origins; the American, narrator, and English woman make assumptions about Carlos' trustworthiness.
- Lack of motive and reasoning: we don't know why Carlos wants people's fingers, why the narrator and English woman participate in such a brutal wager, or why Carlos' caretaker still has a relationship with him.
The story illustrates the unpredictability, irrationality, and lack of morality of the human mind.
