At the end of the 19th century, the world was changing. Europe was living in the age of imperialism and the British Empire was expanding its influence across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Islands like Hawaii, where this story takes place, were beginning to be seen not only as exotic paradises, but also as territories to be conquered, civilized, or exploited. Robert Lewis Stevenson, Scottish author of novels such as Treasure Island or The Strange Case of Dr. Jeil and Mr. Hyde, was fascinated by human contradictions, the struggle between good and evil, appearance and truth, desire and the price to be paid for it. Stevenson traveled the South Seas and wrote The Bottle Imp in 1891 while living in Samoa. There he learned about local stories, Christian beliefs mixed with indigenous mythologies, superstitions about magical objects and spirits locked in jars. This story arises from that cultural crossroads. It is a moral warning written in the form of a fable, a Faustian pact dressed in Pacific flowers, and a story that reminds us that even paradise can hide a curse if desire has no limits. A deal with the devil. Today I want to tell you what I remember about the book The Devil in the Bottle. A story about a small bottle that fits in the palm of your hand, but holds such great power that it can give you everything you desire. Wealth, health, love, power, everything. But it also holds a demon and a curse. One that can only be broken if you manage to sell that bottle for less than you paid for it. And if you don't do it before you die, owner of the bottle, whoever dies with the bottle goes straight to hell. This is not a fairy tale. There is no easy moral, only decisions. And it all begins with a man named Kewe, a cheerful and dreamy young Hawaiian sailor who works on a ship and travels the Pacific. One day, while strolling through the streets of Onolulu, he stops in front of a majestic European-style house with balconies, gardens, and decorations that look like they belong in a palace. What a mess. If I lived in this house, I would be laughing all day long . Those words, spoken with innocent envy, will change her life forever. Inside the house, a melancholy-looking man listens to him. He is the owner, a foreigner with strange manners who seems to have everything, except joy. And then that man shows him a small opaque bottle with a vibrant shadow inside, a bottle that buzzes as if an angry insect lived inside. Everything has a price when you hear the mysterious owner talking about the bottle. At first he thinks it's a joke or madness, but the man tells him something that will mark the destiny of the story. Owner of the bottle. This bottle, as you can see, is not beautiful. Its form is ordinary and its value insignificant. It is filled with a shadow and you can hear it buzzing inside like a caged bee. This object contains the demon and then explains the rules to him. The bottle has this power, that everything the possessor desires he must have inside, house, food, clothes, whatever he desires. But there is a condition. If the owner dies with it in his possession, the soul goes straight to hell. That's why he must sell it before he dies, and sell it for less than he paid for it. That's the agreement. Every wish can be fulfilled, but at the cost of playing with eternal destiny. And each new owner has less room to escape, because each sale must be for less. What do I do without knowing what 's coming? Listen in silence. And then, almost without thinking, he says, "Give me that bottle, I'll give you $50." That is the moment when he accepts the price, not the money, the real price, his soul. Kawah and the house back on their boat. Kaw keeps thinking about the bottle and once in Cona he dares to ask for his first wish, to have a house as beautiful as Hono Lulu's, a house of his own with gardens, terraces and decorations where he could live without worries. Days later, a friend comes looking for him with unexpected news. Friend of Kaw, a distant relative of yours has died and left you his entire fortune. a house, land, furniture, money, and it was just as she had wished. Everything, down to the smallest detail, was the wish she had silently formulated. Now he has everything: house, money, freedom. And that's when Cocúa appears in his life, a kind woman, respected by all, with a reputation for being wise and compassionate, and Ague falls in love with her, talks to her uncle, courts her respectfully and little by little wins her heart. They live happy days and for the first time allow themselves to imagine a complete life, love, home, future. But right at that moment the real test begins, Kewe's illness. Quahwe is preparing to marry Kokua. Life seems perfect. He has obtained the house of his dreams, the respect of the community, and the love of a good and faithful woman. The wedding is approaching and everything points to happiness. But one afternoon, while getting ready in front of the mirror, he discovers something that makes him recoil in horror. Eh, a red mark like a flower was drawn on her skin. It was the sign of the Chinese evil. Do you know what that means? An incurable and disfiguring disease that leads to suffering and death. Joy turns into despair. How can a man with that sentence marry a woman like Cocua? How can I share a life of pain with him? He locks himself in his room, meditates, cries, and then remembers the bottle. He travels to Onolulu, asks about her, goes through the streets, the neighborhoods, the ports, until he finally finds her in the hands of another man and this time buys her for two cents. A doomed life. The bottle fulfills its promise once again: Ah is cured of his illness, fully recovers his health, and marries Cokúa. Together they return to the gleaming house. For a while everything seems perfect: love, health, stability. They stroll through the gardens, receive visitors, and live like an admired and respected couple. But the joy turns to shadow when Kwen remembers an inescapable truth. The bottle is still in his possession and is now only worth a penny. Nobody will be able to buy it for less. Start looking for buyers. He goes to the neighboring villages, to the port, to the markets. He asks in whispers, he approaches strangers, but they all either mock him or look at him with fear. Even the poorest reject the deal. Some flee upon hearing his offer. Owner who sold it. The person who buys it for a penny will not be able to sell it because there is no lower currency. What begins to change. She no longer smiles. She has nightmares. The bottle lies hidden in a corner of the house, but he feels its presence like a weight on his chest. Guilt consumes him. How will he confess this to Cokua? How can I tell him that his soul is in danger? And so what was once a dream life becomes a silent and gloomy existence. Coka's sacrifice is trapped, and he falls into despair. The bottle can no longer be sold for less than a penny, and nobody is willing to be condemned for it. He can't find a way out. His days become slow and dark. His love for Kokua turns into anguish at not being able to protect her from the weight of her sentence. But Kokua, without saying a word, makes the hardest decision of his life. She watches him suffer in silence and understands that she cannot allow the man she loves to be lost forever. She travels alone to Onolú, searching the streets until she finds a man so desperate, so detached from everything, that he fears nothing. A foreign sailor, an alcoholic, without religion or hope. Sailor. I'm going to hell anyway. What do I care, one more or one less? Cokua offers him money to buy the bottle. The deal is finalized, the sailor accepts, and the curse is broken. What is water for? She returns home with a trembling soul and reveals the truth to her husband. I did it for you, to save you. The truth is that Awe, horrified, cannot accept what Coka has done, although he loves her with all his heart, he cannot bear that she now carries the burden of the curse. he decides that if anyone is to be condemned, it should be him. Without telling him anything, he travels back to Onolulu to find the sailor who now possesses the bottle. Go through the poorest neighborhoods, ask in bars and docks until you finally find him. He is a man with a murky gaze, the bottle in his pocket, satisfied with the power he now holds in his hands. Ague kneels before him, explains the story, offers him money, begs, "This is why I brought you to the resplendent house, so that you would bear the weight of the cursed bottle. Please, sell it to me, I will pay you more." But the sailor has no intention of parting with it. He laughs contemptuously. "Sailor, are you crazy if you think I'm going to part with something that gives me everything I want?" K Yahwe is paralyzed. Not only has he failed to achieve his goal, but he has confirmed his worst fear. Kokua is still condemned and he has no way to save her. Darkness surrounds him. No Exit. Both are lost. He returns home dejected. Upon seeing Kokua, he hugs her without saying a word. You don't need to explain to him what he already knows. The bottle is in the hands of a man who will not let go of it. His sacrifice was in vain. The hope that once shone between them is slowly fading away. They sit together on the porch of the gleaming house. The gardens are in bloom. The air is warm, but none of that comforts them. Everything they achieved—the house, health, love—was bought at too high a price. They both cried as if they were already dead. What is it like to gaze at the horizon? And he murmurs that he will look for another solution. But there are no more smaller coins, there is no way out. And if no one accepts the bottle, hell awaits them. Que and Cocua hug. The love that united them now seems like a shared curse. One last miracle. At the last moment, when resignation had already settled between them, a new possibility arises. Kawe and Kokua hear rumors about a French boatswain who is passing through Onolulu. He is a man who has lived a hard life, an old sailor, hardened by alcohol and hopelessness. Her soul seems to be lost, and she lives as if nothing matters to her. He has no religion and no fear. He's looking for it. He finds him drinking in a tavern in the port. He speaks to her cautiously, explaining the power of the bottle and the price of possessing it. The boatswain listens, laughs mockingly, and finally replies, "I'm going to hell anyway. That bottle will be good company." And without hesitation, the purchase for a penny. He makes the deal without fear, like someone who gladly signs his destiny . The bottle finally changes hands and the price of the sentence is transferred. He fell to his knees and gave thanks to God. The curse is over. Cokua is free, and so is he. The love that saved. They return home. The gleaming house is no longer just a symbol of wealth or a wish fulfilled. Now it is the place where they have faced fear, sacrifice, and absolute love. They walk through the corridors they once walked with anxiety. The shadows have disappeared. There are no more secrets. Only the calm after the storm. The two sit on the porch, holding hands, and silently gaze at the sea. They don't need words. They have been saved, they have chosen each other and together they have overcome the condemnation that seemed inevitable. Coa, with a trembling but serene voice, asks Keahwe if he still loves her after everything they've been through. Queahwe replies, Coka, even if I lived a thousand times 1000 years and you too, and everything was pain and misery, I would always be happy because I love you. The bottle is gone, hell is gone , and what remains is true love. Conclusion: a moral tale disguised as a fable. The Devil in the Bottle is a fantastic tale, but also a powerful moral allegory. Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote a story about desire, power, temptation, and the price we are willing to pay for what we want. This story speaks to us of human fragility, of how even the noblest dreams can become dangerous if we don't know when to stop. Through the image of the bottle, Stevenson reminds us that everything obtained without limits or effort has consequences. It is a story about sacrifice, about the fear of condemnation, and about the choice between good and evil in the darkest moments. It matters because, disguised as a fable, it speaks to us about the human soul, about what we do, about what we are capable of giving and losing. Rules of the bottle and its owners. Rules of the cursed bottle. The bottle grants any wish its owner makes from the heart. The power of the bottle comes from a demon that lives inside it . The bottle must be bought and sold with real money. The buyer should know that the bottle is cursed. Each time it is sold, it must be done for a price lower than the one paid. If someone dies with the bottle in their possession, their soul will go straight to hell. Main holders of the bottle. An unknown millionaire, the first owner mentioned. A sad man who lived in the big house of Onolulu. Sell the bottle to Kewe. Kewue, a young Hawaiian sailor, buys it for the first time for $50. Several anonymous owners between their first and second purchase. queue again buys back two cents when he gets sick. Cokua, his wife, orchestrates a sale to a desperate sailor. French sailor, alcoholic and unafraid of hell. Against the French master, the last known buyer, he accepts the bottle for a penny, resigned to its fate. This journey of the bottle not only reflects the decrease in its price, but also the increase in the moral hazard it represents until it falls into the hands of someone who is no longer afraid of anything. Clarification regarding Kokua and the sentence. Although Kokua does not directly buy the bottle, she is the one who devises, organizes and finances the final transaction so that a faithless sailor can acquire it for a penny. Strictly speaking, she doesn't break any of the rules, she doesn't pay for them with her own hands, she doesn't own them. But on a moral and narrative level, the story suggests that the condemnation falls on her because it was her will that activated the desire. In other words, although hell cannot legally claim her soul, Yew perceives that the sacrifice has put her in danger and therefore feels he must rescue her. This ambiguity is intentional. Stevenson shows us that sin is not always in the direct action, but in the responsibility we assume out of love. How the bottle finally changed hands, after Kokua's intervention and the purchase made by the French sailor, Kawe tries to recover the bottle, but fails. The sailor, aware of the power he possesses, refuses to sell it. Sailor, are you crazy if you think I'm going to part with something that gives me everything I want? The real reason is even clearer. The sailor had bought the bottle for a penny and according to the rules he could not resell it, since there is no coin of lesser value. This leaves him trapped with her forever, unless someone else willingly acquires her for that same penny with no intention of selling her. And then a French boatswain appears, a hardened man, without faith, who no longer expects anything from life or death. Accept the deal without hesitation. Against the master, I'm going to hell anyway. That bottle will be good company. This act is what finally allows Kewe and Kokúa to be freed from the curse. Thus, the bottle never returns to his hands. Her freedom does not come from regaining it, but from someone else accepting it, knowing that it is beyond redemption. Also, a reminder that if you need an essay about the book, there is a link below on Patreon where you can purchase it. The essays are not written with [the appropriate language/style] but they are grammatically corrected with it. And that's all, thank you very much for watching. Yeah.