MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Rebellion Against Authority

in the Works of Roald Dahl

Diploma thesis

Brno 2012

Supervisor: Author:

Mgr. Pavla Buchtová Bc. Anna Mabbettová

Declaration

Prohlašuji, že jsem závěrečnou diplomovou práci vypracovala samostatně, s využitím

pouze citovaných literárních pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s

Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se

zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským

a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů.

I hereby declare that I have written this diploma thesis myself and that all the sources I

have used are listed in the bibliography section.

Kunovice, 13th

April 2012 ……………………………………………..

Bc. Anna Mabbettová

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr.Pavla Buchtová for her invaluable advice and

constant guidance throughout my work.

Anna Mabbettová

Table of Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………….1

1. About Literature ……………………………………………………………………….3

1.1 Literature and children …………………………………………………………3

1.2 Literature and society…………………………………………………………...8

1.3 Authors and their readers……………………………………………………...12

2. Roald Dahl …………………………………………………………….………………14

3. Authority and Rebellion ……………………………………………………………...19

3.1 Authority Figure………………………………………………………………19

3.2 Authority meets Rebellion…………………………………………………….23

3.3 The need to rebel ………………………………………. ………………….…26

4. Matilda ………………………………………………………………………………..30

4.1 Authority figures in Matilda‟s family ………………………………………..30

4.2 Matilda‟s rebellion at home ………………………………………………….32

4.3 Matilda and authority figures at school ………………………………….......36

4.4 Children‟s rebellion at school ………………………………………………..37

4.5 Matilda‟s rebellion at school ………………………………………………...40

4.6 Miss Honey‟s rebellion and Matilda‟s role…………………………………..43

4.7 The effects of Matilda‟s rebellion ……………………..…………………….46

5. The Witches ………………………………………………………………………….49

5.1 The character of a witch in the novel ……………………………..…………49

5.2 Authority figures in Luke‟s family ……………………………………..…...51

5.3 The main conflict ……………………………………………………………52

5.4 Children‟s rebellion …………………………………………………………54

5.5 The adult‟s authority and rebellion………………………………………….55

5.6 The implications of the story‟s events……………………………………....57

6. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………..............59

Annotation …………………………………..…………………………………………61

Work Cited ………………………………………………….……………....................63

1

Introduction

Every day people live in their small little worlds within a wider world that is

usually determined by the society around them. We are a very diverse world of people

with various types of relations among us. Time passes, we live our daily lives and not

many of us think regularly about our position and role within our own societies. Literature

is perhaps one the most traditional ways to portray our lives in different stages of time.

Writers must inevitably be influenced by their own lives and thus also by the society they

live in to be able to explore their thoughts from a vast array of aspects. At times, almost

every person feels curious about others, people want to learn about other people, their life

stories and their societies, and so in turn also about their worlds, be they real or imaginary.

Literature provides one of the means to visit these worlds through reading.

Today, a large part of literature is specifically aimed at children. There are many

different types of books for children, from simple board books for babies to sophisticated

novels for teenagers. Reading offers children the chance to meet many fictional characters

that can become part of their memories of childhood. However, before children learn to

read they learn about this fictional world through other people who read to them, most

often their parents and teachers. Therefore, children‟s literature can have a powerful

impact both on the young reader and the mature reader. The fact that adults have to read

aloud forces them to think about what they read and explore their own feelings and

memories from their own childhoods.

Inevitably, feelings of children and adults about life vary and both explore stories

they read from different angles. In this diploma thesis I have decided to examine the

concept of authority and rebellion. I have chosen to study some works of the writer Roald

Dahl, one of the most popular British children‟s writers. His novels for children were

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introduced to me only in my late teens and although I was not the typical child reader, I

still enjoyed them. Now, I have introduced his works to my own children and although I

am now an adult reader and perceive his writing perhaps in slightly different light, I still

find them immensely interesting.

The novels present many examples of interaction between children and authority

figures. Many of his stories are what a society does not expect children‟s novels to be.

They are stories full of humour and enjoyment but also of the macabre, animosity and

rebellion. Coupled with excellent and innovative use of the English language, Dahl‟s

novels create amazingly alive images in readers‟ minds and leave them with unforgettable

memories.

The focus of my study will be two of Roald Dahl‟s novels, Matilda and The

Witches. To begin with, I will explore the connection of literature and children as well as

the society in general. I will also debate the link of authors to their readers and briefly

discuss the life of Roald Dahl himself where I shall try to explore possible influences his

life experiences may have had on his writing.

The second part of the thesis will concentrate on the theoretical aspects of authority

and rebellion and subsequently, on the analysis of the novels in question. Within the

novels, I will explore two concepts of authority, authority based on respect and authority

based on power as well as reasons for rebellion.

In the final part of the thesis I will discuss my findings and compare both the

novels in terms of instances of conflicts with authority and reasons for rebellion. I would

like to discuss whether occurrences of rebellion and conflicts with authority figures could

have any implications on readers and thus also on the popularity of Roald Dahl‟s works.

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1. About Literature

1.1 Literature and children

The world of children is a complex and diverse domain that is a part of each

society. It is natural for a human society to chronicle the events and actions that happen

during the course of time. Oral stories have been passed down for generations and once

people found out they could preserve them on paper, literature in some form began. It is

difficult to establish whether any of the old stories were intentionally written for children.

Children have always been living around adults, who may have enjoyed telling stories that

they knew children would find entertaining in some way. The stories that used to be passed

down orally were heard by both adults and children anyway. The written accounts did not

really specify which story was meant for children and which one was not.

Today, there is a specifically designated area of literature, commonly referred to as

children‟s literature. However, the term itself can be quite ambiguous. Is this literature

written for children or by children? Is this literature meant to be read by children or read

to them by somebody else? In his essays on children‟s literature, Chambers states that

“some people argue that there is no such thing as books for children but only books which

children happen to read” (91). I agree with this statement in the general sense. Books are

available at homes, libraries, schools and bookshops. Although some novels are deemed

not suitable for children, I cannot remember an instance where I would see any literary

works under lock and key. And vice versa, I do not know of any children‟s novels that

adults would be banned from reading.

In essence, literary works, be they aimed for adults or for children, are usually

written by adults themselves. I suggest that this is a crucial fact. Writing offers one of the

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ways to explore life and find answers to questions. Inevitably, many adult writers reflect

their past life experiences into their writing. When some of them create new stories for

intended primarily for children, there are a number of adults who will enjoy reading these

stories too. We, the adults, become the recipients because:

We belong to the audience of child literature – we belong as former child readers of such literature,

we belong because we were once children, we belong as adult author, publishers, purchasers, and

critics of such literature and we belong as current adult readers of such literature. (Jones 306)

If the term children‟s literature presents itself to reservations, what term should then be

used when referring to literature that is targeted primarily at children? Hunt suggests that

an appropriate expression would be “texts for children” (Children’s literature 3). This term

offers a much wider scope for literary works that may broach the subject of children.

However, it would be very difficult if we refrained from using the term children‟s

literature overall. This term simply allows us to talk about books that are “clearly for

children in a specific sense – they were written by their authors deliberately for children –

and some books, never specifically intended for children, have qualities which attract

children to them” (Chambers 91).

From one point of view children may be seen as smaller versions of adults.

Perhaps, adults can also be at times regarded as big versions of children. Concerning the

inner world of both adults and children, their respective worlds of feelings and fantasy are

interconnected. Children are still human beings, not a “separate form of life from people”

(Townsend 61). When an adult writer writes a novel intended for children, s/he is able to

create worlds where children may discover many issues. They may feel happy, find

answers to problems, learn to empathise, identify with fictional characters or just simply,

they might enjoy immersing themselves into a story without deliberating about any

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problems. Cullingford claims that novels “pass time, fill up moments that remain

forgettable, they gratify simple pleasures, they do not constitute constant revisions of the

interpretation of life” (9). This statement is certainly interesting. Cullingford perceives

reading novels as an activity that one does for pleasure or boredom. While I agree that

readers do not turn to novels with a primary purpose to understand the meaning of life, I

believe that novels can offer an insight into some aspects of life. When readers find some

parts of fictional stories they identify with, they may use this fictional setting to help them

explain events happening in their own lives too.

Fictional literature brings different worlds to the readers. For children, these worlds

open up numerous opportunities for exploration. Literature can have many functions. The

basic one may be amusement, but some argue that literature is “primarily for

entertainment, but secondarily addresses problematic emotions” (Humble 76). Growing up

is a complex process. Sometimes, though I dare to claim that less often, it is an easy going

process but to a significant number of people it may be felt as “daunting and sometimes

overwhelming experience” (Mackey 63). In addition, Lukens argues that “we choose

literature that promises entertainment and, sometimes, escape” (3). Escaping into fictional

worlds can be a metaphor for dealing with one‟s emotions and so, in turn, looking for

answers. Literary works also offer one important benefit. They can be re-read again and

again. This enables the readers to see situations in a new light and discover new

connections, or, on the contrary, the readers can take comfort from the fact that they

perceive the stories the same which offers them some kind of assurance of safety and

comfort. However, Benton claims that every time we read, we get a “unique experience”

and the reader‟s perception of the text will change due to an obvious change of imaginative

perception (70).

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Children are therefore influenced by what they read, whether they want to be

influenced or not. Young children are not able to explain the possible underlying motifs in

the stories, they just live through them unconsciously. Because of young children‟s general

inexperience in life, their minds are open to anything new, their capacity for

comprehension is very strong – they “observe and absorb constantly” (Cullingford 215).

Nevertheless, the age of the child reader is very important. Due to this general

inexperience in life, young readers may perceive the fictional situations as they would like

to see and perceive them, not as what the authors intended them to mean in reality. What is

more, for young children “choices are black and white, yes and no”, they are not able to

find the possible intended messages (Lukens 89). Hunt also adds that “there are certain

topics which are generally agreed to be irrelevant to children who have not reached certain

developmental stages” (Introduction to child. lit. 16). Nevertheless, some children can be

very sensitive to certain topics and most will understand the difference between good and

evil. This is what literature can help them with – it provides not only the escape from

reality into fantasy, but also allows them to learn to understand other human beings.

Literature has been part of our lives for centuries. Despite the current technical age,

literary works are still sold and libraries still open. There is a certain group of children and

adults for whom reading is an enjoyable experience. Certain works that are considered

children‟s novels may not be primarily aimed at them, but still these works often find way

to be loved and enjoyed by children regardless. However, there exist some defining

characteristics, texts primarily written for children have different features, impact and

sense. As Hunt says, children‟s literature “is not inferior to other types of writing, it is

different” (Introduction to child. lit. 11). The characteristics that divide the adult and

children‟s literature are therefore rather in the form and style that calls for a certain

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audience. It means that both types of literature are open for exploration by people of any

age.

Literary works present a never ending question – which novels are good for

children and which are not. In my opinion, the answer to this question depends on each

individual‟s personality. What one person recommends as an enjoyable novel, others may

disagree with such suggestion. Who has the right to be correct? Human beings, be they

adults or children, are as diverse as their intellect and opinions are. There is “little guide as

to what is appropriate” for reading, what is important is how literary works are read (Hunt,

“Introduction to child. lit.” 10, 16). The underlying themes, motifs and symbolism of one

novel may not be perceived identically by every reader, the perception of a story and its

events depends on the readers and their individual interpretations. Adult readers have the

capacity to recognize instances when characters and relationships within a story depict

personalities that are too perfect or too simple. Children do not possess such skill. It is up

to the adults to try and lead children to deeper understandings and perceptions of the

situations and show approval with relevant role models that are present in such stories. It is

important to talk with children about what they read and why. It gives adults an insight

into the child‟s mind and their perception of the world, which can lead to better

“understanding” between the child and the adult:

This understanding comes from the exploration of the human condition, the revelation of human

nature, the discovery of humankind. It is not explicitly the function of literature, either for children

or for adults, to try to reform human beings, or to set up guidelines for behaviour; however, it is the

province of literature to observe and to comment, to open individuals and their society for our

observation and our understanding. (Lukens 4)

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Therefore, children and literature are connected on more than one level. It is not only

pleasure that children receive from reading, literature aimed at children in effect helps

them to grow up. The children who are not encouraged to read or those who are not

exposed to literature in some way may find their outlook on life and workings of the

society somehow limited.

1.2 Literature and society

A society and its life are inherently reflected in literary works. The era writers live

in influences their reasons for exploring certain issues. Even if the authors‟ topics touch

events that happened in different time periods, their current understanding of them will be

influenced by the present time. Therefore, literature in general is very important for

interpretation of life. Both writers and readers react to stories with regard to their own

“backgrounds and experiences” (Lukens 213).

When writers create their stories, they inadvertently communicate the views of the

society as a whole, because they are part of the society themselves. At times, writers use

the writing process to examine sensitive matters that are not too openly discussed in a

society. Literature targeted at children draws attention to many such issues. Increasingly,

novels for children feature single-parent families, topics such as bullying, mental illness,

sexuality and death. An approach that explores the socially accepted norms and beliefs

may bring to the writers the audience they want. During growing up it is natural to

question one‟s environment and to rebel against anything not in conformity with own

judgements. As previously mentioned, young people are only just finding their place in the

world. They are “constantly reacting against and defining themselves against a culture of

institutionalised relations of production that foster sameness and conformity” (Zipes 3).

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Literary works provide examples of the society conditions and it is up to the young reader

to learn to think deeper about such issues within their own society (Hannabuss, “Research

Triggers” 252).

The historical and cultural aspects of a society throughout various periods in time

presented in literature provide a distinctive insight into the lives of its people. There are

numerous literary works that depict a society in some way and it is important to think how

accurately are these reflections portrayed in literature and how are they perceived by

readers. I believe that the accuracy is conditioned by the individual‟s explanation of

events. For both readers and authors “the ideology of the text is an interpretation of the

world which is embedded in contradiction and conflict” and the impact of the beliefs and

values from a society will modify the interpretation of a given text (Cullingford 10). In

other words, a text will reflect the cultural interpretations of a functioning society and of

childhood.

To concentrate on literature targeted at children, it is logical that there is an interest

to study this realm of literature. Hannabuss presents a view on the research of children‟s

literature:

It tells us much about the way in which children were regarded, moving increasingly from the view

that they were adults in miniature ... to an understanding of the importance, imaginatively and

cognitively, of reading to children. It tells us too, of the ways in which families were

structured, what child rearing was expected to be, what educational facilities were provided for

children, and how concentrated was children‟s reading in the middle and upper classes of society.

(Research Triggers 51)

He explains that the need to study literature arises from its historical and social appeal and

that literature explain children‟s connection to a society (251).

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Historically, the development of literature specifically aimed at children has been

varied. Traditionally, literature was meant to convey moral messages or to educate. The

period roughly from mid nineteenth century to the 1920‟s is named by Hunt as literature

that was “growing away from adults” and he pinpoints the 1950‟s as the period when

children‟s literature “was established as a distinctive area” (Introduction to child. lit. 9,

59). It seems that society wanted to move on from the war years and in the sixties the

literature started to reflect the lives of a society in a more socially determined way. Today,

literature for children integrates all the approaches. Lukens claims that “often the plots

focused more on social problems than upon their effects on individual human beings”

(104). Hannabuss contrasts this with a view that “literature at the start of the century

represented childhood as an ideal state, whereas literature now emphasises the importance

of growing up” (Researching 426). Since the end of the last century literature for children

has been exploring the avenues of the effect on individual readers, because modern society

reflected in literature mirrors problems that come hand in hand with difficult social

situations. Today, writers are more willing to explore issues that were once supressed,

from more profound relationships within a family to subjects like discrimination, gender or

sexuality that were already mentioned above.

Authority and rebellion are very apparent within the basic institutions of a society,

in the family and the school. Families as well as schools represent extremely diverse and

complex social concepts. Family especially has a central role in each individual‟s life. The

more people there are in a family, the more diverse the interpretation on what is happening

inside it. Even now, in the new millennium, the family remains the “subject of contention,

complexity and passionate debate” (Alston 20). Through literature the relationships among

human beings in a family can be explored from many aspects. The family is a place where

authority is applied naturally and readers can thus compare their own families with

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fictional ones. Literary works for children today often reflect family members as

individuals who have their personal flaws, but who are also realistic. Lukens calls such

parents “imperfect and human” (141). Therefore, through reading, children are able to

learn about various family units and compare them with their own.

Taking into consideration literature and education, the specific school environment

offers an opportunity to explore many themes, from relationships between children or the

children and adults to issues such as search for identity or dealing with conflict. The school

as an institution often echoes the cultural values and attitudes of a society towards

children. The relationships within such an environment, its “setting and tireless insistence

upon codes of conducts, relationships with authority” feature extensively in children‟s

books (Hunt, “Children‟s novel”). Schools have always been “somewhat hierarchical

institutions” and by creating alternative worlds in their writing, authors are able to freely

explore the endless possibilities for conflict solutions (Cullingford 40). Children living in

the real world will welcome opportunities these texts give them to escape from situations

they may find difficult to cope with into fictional worlds that offer them an additional

choice of solutions to difficulties children experience. These situations enable the readers

to relate to the subject of growing up. Many novels concerning the school and its

environment concentrate on “the message that they are supposed to convey, especially in

the supposed art of preparing for the adult world” (Cullingford 36). Some people may

dispute the fact that literary works prepare children for the adult world, but I believe that

they do. Even in a fictional story some kind of a world exists and the reader can absorb and

store thoughts and images s/he may later reflect on in real life.

Many of the topics connected with society that literature deals with have been

explored over and over again. But each child reader will respond to a text in a way that is

connected to his or her cultural setting, regardless of time. Some stories “transcend the

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time in which they are written, but they are still subject to the temporality of the

circumstances in which they are read” (Cullingford 1). In their function, children‟s novels

reflect “what society thinks is culturally and educationally suitable for its children” (Hunt,

“Children‟s novel”). Through reading the child is helped to find ways to adapt to his or her

society. Even a fictional world may give children a sense of belonging and order s/he may

be looking for. Children learn to accept the situations they grapple with in real life, thus

making themselves more and more established within their society.

Reading is “an essential part of childhood”, it “provides a coherent and

recognizable depiction of the real world, reminding children of the shared human

experience and of the fact that no one lives in isolation” (Cullingford 12). In my view, this

is the essence what reading should be. Whether it is a depiction of the real world or of a

fantasy one, it gives answers. Reading is a skill and reading for pleasure offers an even

wider scope of additional skills a person needs in life.

1.3 Authors and their readers

The writers‟ motifs for writing stories are diverse. It is impossible to explain all of

them, purely because each individual may see the same point from a different angle. Some

writers might want to convey a message to readers, others just want readers to spend some

enjoyable time with their works, and still others might want to provide an escape into

fantasy or free themselves of their own personal burdens. As Lukens puts it, “literature

shows human motives for what they are, inviting reader to identify with or to react to a

fictional character” (5). And literature for children has an audience of young people who

are still only finding out about their world, therefore any underlying motifs in a story will

be understood individually from their point of view at the time of reading.

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Authors share the story they created with the readers, but it is up to the readers to

reproduce the story in his or hers mind as they see it. The imaginative minds of young

children are able to recreate the story from different points of view. In reality, young

children do not notice the actual words separately, but create various worlds in their

imagination, “a novel within a novel” (Benton 70). Whether these worlds and lives are in

any way similar to what the author had in mind is irrelevant, because each child will

perceive the written text differently, depending on their age, experience or even their

personalities.

The public can look upon the success of children‟s novels from many perspectives.

If we overlook the success of a novel from the business point of view regarding sales

numbers, a successful novel is one that is the subject of much discussion or one that is re-

read frequently. I believe it does not matter who discusses this novel or how many people

read it. Even if it is just one person, that particular novel is successful in some way for

them. For a story to come to life, authors and their readers depend on each other. A worthy

novel will find its readers at any age.

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2. Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is a name inherently connected with children‟s literature, famous all

over the world. He was a British author who wrote unforgettable books both for adults as

well as children. Although his works for adults are undeniably very interesting, I feel that

his novels for children are fascinating. In this chapter, I would like to briefly explore some

aspects of Roald Dahl‟s life that may have had influence on his writing

In general, his stories for children are often written in his own specific style. There

is humour, outrageous fantasy blended with reality but also fear, malice and wickedness.

In fact, some people see his works as “beloved by innumerable children and disturbing to

many adults” (Mackey 53). She argues that this ambiguity about his novels for children

places them in a precarious position regarding safe reading (Mackey 53). It is impossible

to determine any point of safety in reading. A particular story creates a world as a whole

and all parts of the story are needed to achieve complexity in the readers‟ minds. Any

alarming situations some adults may find can be perceived as purposeful exaggeration by

others.

The main child characters in Dahl‟s works are central to the stories and they are

often portrayed as strong personalities. In addition, they often display an ability to

“accomplish great things and to exhibit an independent spirit” (Royer). These qualities

described by Royer make the characters appealing to child readers. However, as an adult

will examine the stories from different angle to children. I am interested in the underlying

issues that could have possibly driven Dahl to create such memorable characters like

Matilda, Willy Wonka, BFG (the Big Friendly Giant) and others. Matilda‟s inner strength

to cope with her life, Wonka‟s mix of mystery and complex personality, BFG‟s innocence

and humour are all attributes that make these characters stand out.

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Roald Dahl was born in 1916 in Wales to Norwegian parents. He had five siblings,

a half-sister and a half-brother who were older than him and also three own sisters. For his

Norwegian mother, he was her only son. The relationship between mothers and children is

the first and essential relationship influencing every person‟s future outlook. Both Dahl‟s

biographers, Jeremy Treglown and Donald Sturrock imply that Roald‟s mother was a great

inspiration in his life – she was “extraordinarily strong and influential…did much to shape

his attitude” and “she was undoubtedly the primary influence on his life” (Sturrock 42,

Treglown 26). The family lived a fairly comfortable life in Britain, but when Dahl was

three years old, his older sister died and soon after, his father died too. His mother never

remarried and stayed in England raising her large family.

Although Dahl was perhaps too young to remember his father much, a close

encounter with death of any kind influences a child of any age. We as readers of his stories

may not be sure how deeply was Roald affected by the loss of his father and sister, but I

believe it was one of the crucial facts that he reflected on in his subsequent writing. Dahl

may have been too young to recall real moments, but often adults observe that “early

memories are not supressed but always remembered” (Cullingford 161). Dahl‟s need to

write about families and relationships within them was further amplified by the tragedies

that he faced in his own family. There were a series of events that perhaps foreshadowed

his further focus on unfairness in life. Within a space of five years his family changed

considerably. First his baby son was involved in an accident and was left brain damaged,

two years later his eldest daughter Olivia died at the age of seven and finally his wife, the

actress Patricia Neal, suffered a series of strokes and was paralysed. After such events, he

was left a husband, father and carer. He appeared to be the strong person who held

everything together and put himself into a position which did not allow him to grieve fully

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for the losses he suffered and the trauma he experienced. He might have felt a sense of

unfairness from life, which he decided to channel into his writing.

In his novels for children Dahl wrote about their life and their world. Often the

families portrayed in his stories are either incomplete, as in The Witches, or dysfunctional,

as in Matilda. His characters tend to be disadvantaged somehow, and corresponding to his

own experience, also “his heroes grapple with loss” (Schultz 470). He masterfully played

with various emotions that accompany difficult stages in life, such as anger, feelings of

loneliness, unfairness and fear. However, because of his skill with language, he was able to

bring into his stories also humour, albeit sometimes rather macabre. Cullingford‟s

statement that “the greatest relief from pain is from jokes” seems to be very true for Dahl

(162). The events in his life connected with his family offered the opportunity to be used in

fiction as a kind of therapy for Dahl in his adulthood.

Experience of school played a significant part in Dahl‟s life. He first started

attending a school near his home at the age of seven, where he stayed for two years.

Afterwards, between the ages of nine and twelve, he attended his first boarding school,

moving to another one at the age of thirteen. Living at a boarding schools meant that

children were effectively excluded from their ordinary family lives. For a nine year old

child, accustomed to having a fairly large family around, the move to boarding school

brings about a big change in his or her life. The child enters a completely new environment

and is left to cope with everything by himself or herself. And this cannot be easy. Not only

there are a lot of new people with different personalities and the individual has no choice

but to learn to live with them, but it is also the loss of privacy and sense of belonging that

affects a child. Also, in each school a new kind of discipline is imposed and in Dahl‟s time

it was a harsh kind of discipline, his schools are described as “draconian” in his biography

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(Sturrock 42). Circumstances that create instances for clashes with authority mean that

often the only way for a child to show disagreement is rebellion in some form.

Dahl‟s experience of schools was not entirely positive. Although enjoying sport

and exploring nature, he was also homesick. This was reflected in him writing letters home

nearly every day, nevertheless, in his letters he hardly ever wrote of his feelings – they

were “full of football, stamp collecting, Bonfire Night fireworks and the finer points of

conkers” (Treglown 21). However, he also experienced cruel punishment from the hands

of some of the adults as well as the older boys. At that time, showing feelings openly was

perhaps unusual, people rarely discussed their private feelings. Dahl learnt to deal with his

true feelings by keeping them to himself and finding ways to cope in the school

environment otherwise. Particularly, he found an “escape route” in stories, be it in writing

colourful accounts of his life in letters or becoming a keen reader (Treglown 21).

By not being able to share his feelings, he perhaps left them to subconsciously

intensify and therefore, in his works a sense of injustice and rebellion are displayed

constantly. His novels depict everyday situations of school life embellished and filled with

malice and animosity (Cullingford 160). These characteristics imply that at least some

ideas of such situations must come from real experience.

It is clear that the schools Dahl attended provided him with an array of characters

he would later exploit in writing. He must have based at least some of his negative

characters on real people, as “his treatment of characters he does not like is vicious”

(Mackey 53). Royer also argues that Dahl‟s belief was that “authorities and social

institutions, as government and schools, should not be trusted or accepted”. It is difficult to

pinpoint what was the underlying reason for this distrust of authorities. However, he must

have experienced injustice at his schools which together with his character and

temperament blended into protest and secret defiance.

18

Children usually spend a great part of their life in some kind of formal education

establishment, unless they are taught at home. The diversity of characters that teachers and

peers present must affect each individual getting used to such a different environment. In

general, the situations children experience when attending school may be negative,

positive or indifferent. This defiance we see in Dahl‟s stories, whereby he possibly returns

to relive his own experience through fictional situations and delivers judgments on

characters who personify real people against whom he holds a grudge.

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3. Authority and Rebellion

3.1 Authority Figure

Power, authority and rebellion are inseparable in fiction and in life. As soon as a

child is born, it becomes a member of a society. The structure of a society varies.

Nevertheless, with the exception of children brought up in the wild by animals, children

grow up among other human beings. Thus, through the act of birth, the child becomes a

member of a society and must conform to the society‟s way of life, its rules and standards.

The child grows up and at every step of his or her life encounters more and more human

beings and must interact with them in order to simply survive. As a result, any older

person in the child‟s life may be seen as a figure of authority to them. Through time the

child naturally starts to question the power this authority figure may exercise. Such

situations start having an impact on the child very early in his or her life.

The actual word „authority‟ has several meanings. To emphasise the implication of

this term I am concerned with, I shall focus on a definition of authority as “the power to

make decisions or tell people what to do” (“authority”). This definition is further divided

into two parts - “the power to influence other people because they respect your opinions or

knowledge” and “the power to make other people obey you because of a quality in the way

you speak or behave” (“authority”). One word in this definition stands out – power.

However, according to this explanation, the meaning of the word „power‟ differs subtly.

Some people can influence others while being respectful, whereas some people command

obedience because of their position, regardless of respect. Therefore, an authority figure

can exhibit both of these attributes.

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Authority is closely connected with morality, “it exists, because a person in a given

position is more able than others to perceive the kinds of actions which will serve the

interests of the moral order” (Metz 27). I agree with this statement, for a society to live and

survive, the question of morality is an important one. People who are perceived as

authority figures create the social system. As a child grows up and begins to perceive the

abstract connections among people within his/her social circle, s/he also begins to accept

the rules and thus slowly understand the moral order. Metz also adds another aspect of

authority, that there must be a relationship of “command and obedience” (26). This

explanation is very broad and in some situations straightforward command and obedience

link does not exist. The morality aspect prevents blind obedience, for example commands

to inflict harm.

Growing up is a relatively long process. It means that children will need time to

understand the moral order and accept others in the roles of authority figures. Children‟s

literature often serves as a mirror of everyday life and children can find characters living

the similar lives as them, sorting out similar problems. Even in a world full of fantasy that

is disconnected with real life children may find certain characters to identify with. In short,

in stories children have opportunities to find parts of themselves. As they begin to question

their own or other people‟s actions and grapple with problems they encounter, stories can

either give them some sense of normality or more often they can offer means of escape.

That is, an escape from a world where they may feel uncomfortable or escape from

situations they may not understand. Fictional stories also provide new imaginary worlds,

that are similar to their own or one where they are able to experience a life very different

to their own. By identifying with fictional characters, children are able to find help when

dealing with their own life and feel that they are not alone.

21

Regarding perception of authority figures the age of children is a great factor.

Nicholas Tucker uses a term “conventional authority”, whereby he claims that small

children have “simple moral beliefs, often based on crude concepts of fairness, conformity,

equal shares and obedience to authority” (126). The important question is how long

children are assumed to be small and at what ages do they start falling into the category of

big children. I believe that both the calendar age and the emotional age of an individual are

significant. Because only with time comes experience and this experience can have various

degrees of profoundness. The kind of morality a child understands first as s/he grows up

must as some point change. As they grow, children begin to query the world around, the

conflict situations and the moral outcomes. And at some point, there comes a stage when

the child begins to see and ponder the hidden web of connections between human

character and human acts. The social context becomes an important factor and authority

begins to be perceived as “a complex social relationship” (Hemmings and Pace 1).

The key social group the child is confronted with is the child‟s own family. It is a

complex dynamic group that appears in numerous structures. Consequently, the concepts

of authority and authority figures are represented in many different ways, according to

each family unit. Parental authority tends to shape the child‟s outlook on life until s/he

starts questioning it. Ann Alston suggests that nowadays there is a deficiency in parental

control which may be responsible for the shift of position of the child within the family

(11). If that is so, children‟s literature offers the opportunity for the child to learn about the

different family models, explore the world of possible outcomes and solutions to problems

and to enrich their own perception of morality within the society. As Alston sums it up:

It is in literature for children that we find the best location to impose family ideology on children,

to indoctrinate them with role models and to promulgate the family values which allow society to

function in a specific way, in so far as we can in the present context. (11)

22

However, just as there are numerous family models holding a vast variety of family values,

there are also many different fictional worlds that literature offers to children. It is this

variety that allows children to experience power from authority figures on different levels.

Children are able to shape their opinions by comparing and contrasting the roles authority

figures have in their lives with those they read about in books, be they from a fantasy

world or realistically portrayed world.

The diversity of children‟s literature reflects the variety of social contexts.

Throughout their life children come into contact with formal institutions. As my focus is

on Dahl‟s works aimed at young readers, I am convinced that apart from family, the most

important social environment a child cannot avoid during life is the school. Today, many

educational establishments divert from the general concept of traditional schooling.

Parents can choose from a vast array of educational concepts, from Montessori and

Waldorf at one end to home-schooling at the other. Nevertheless, for the purposes of my

thesis I will focus on the concept of a traditional school as an institution which a child

attends regularly in order to receive formal education. In such an environment, authority

assumes another role. It can be understood as “a complex social relationship that unfolds

through various kinds of interactions that hold varied meanings for teachers and students”

(Hemmings and Pace 1). To understand the concept of authority as a series of interactions

there must be present “at least two persons, one in a dominant and one in a subordinate

position” (Laupa, Turiel and Cowan 143). The relationships in such a formal setting are

easily defined through the hierarchical system of pupils and teachers. Nevertheless, pupils

experience authority based on power among themselves due to their social positions.

Children‟s books provide occasions where relationship within such environments

are described and explored from various perspectives.

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3.2 Authority meets Rebellion

Should an adult or a child be asked to name a rebellious character from children‟s

stories, I am sure people will think of some well-known names. From the forever young

Peter Pan and adventurous Tom Sawyer to the independent Pippi Longstocking and

tomboyish Famous Five‟s Georgina, these names epitomise strong and memorable

characters children‟s literature is inseparably connected with. Although these characters

come from the world of fantasy, they may display character traits that children find

desirable. They too live through situations where authority is challenged and children will

strive to find connections between the fantasy world and their real life.

Rebellion is perhaps a strong word, but in my opinion, it is closely related to the

concept of authority figure. Both the person who has a position of authority and the person

who is in a social interaction with him or her must be aware that there are certain limits by

which the authority may be exercised and what moral issues are observed:

Authority is constituted by establishing boundaries, so that rules, prohibitions, and so on, presuming

that those boundaries are natural and universal, teach that moral and social normality is defined

by refusal to transgress them. (Stevens and McCallum 27)

But children need time to arrive to a stage when they can understand more complex

connections between the power that authority requires and the moral interests concerning

certain matters. When children are faced with any difficulties in their life, they find

themselves in a confrontational position. It is only natural, they are not “a separate form of

life from people” (Townsend 61). They only need to observe and learn from their

environment.

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Thus, the children are growing up, conforming to rules and regulations of their

families, happy or unhappy in this little world that is around. Sometimes, the life is smooth

and easy-going but at times a change occurs. When such situations arise, children begin to

think about them and suddenly they are confronted with their own feelings of

disagreement. When these feelings get stronger than authority figures they are faced with

demands, the natural reaction of the child‟s mind is to rebel. Nevertheless, to start with

children are not aware of the concept of rebellion. To younger children, the world is ruled

simply and their reactions to conflicts and problems seem very straightforward. For

children “choices are black and white, unaware of their own mixed motives, they rarely

see those of others” (Lukens 89). It is only with age that children start grasping the deeper

connections within relationships concerning authority figures.

Fictional characters allow children to explore such conflict situations. Characters

offer a variety of answers, from instances of mild rebelliousness to possibly more

pronounced and clear rebellious occasions. Take the character of William Brown, the

epitome of rebelliousness, from the highly successful stories by Richmal Crompton:

There is something awesome about a child character who can pose such a threat to normally

domineering adults, and William – according to his creator – was indeed „a little savage‟… In the

stories he is the enemy of all authority, from parents to policemen, school teachers, vicars and

organising ladies. (Tucker 117)

It is interesting that even Crompton herself describes the character of William she invented

as „savage‟. What compelled her to invent such a character? It must be noted that the

novels were first published almost a hundred years ago, in the 1920‟s. Even then they were

popular, which suggests that there was an appetite to read about such adventures. The

readers must have needed to read about and to identify with the situations these novels

25

offered. On the other hand, the readers may not have been only children, but adults too.

The adults would reflect on their childhoods and understand the conflicts better because

“person-against-society conflict is much more easily understood by adults than by

children” (Lukens 104). So if adults bought Crompton‟s novels and recommended them to

their children, they were in effect offering children explanations they could not provide

themselves.

I believe the same situation happens today. Novels that young children read are

mostly recommended by someone. The children read these stories and sometimes discover

that they do identify with some characters or situations. Nevertheless, at that age children

must also enjoy reading these novels and do not choose them primarily for moral reasons.

Yet, subconsciously, they are drawn to them with regard to their own experience and

feelings. Literature makes it possible to explain our reactions to societies by “showing

appropriate circumstances where people give in or struggle against them” (Lukens 7).

Nowadays, J. K. Rowling‟s phenomenal character of Harry Potter would surely be able to

represent the modern rebel. His challenge of authority has earned him a cult status. Not

only does he have to try and find answers about his family and his position in it, but he

also has to explore the complex web of relationships between children and adults and thus

he comes to clashes with authority figures based on power and rebelliousness ensues.

The school as an institution plays an enormous part in children‟s lives. Not only

does it offer an abundance of social interactions, it requires compliance with rules, often

with little space for discussion. Sometimes schools are seen as “extremely autocratic

places… hierarchical institutions where children have always been aware of the power of

the teachers” (Cullingford 40). The school environment requires compliance with more

formal rules and rebellion is often the only way children are able to make themselves

heard. Each child brings their own experience and their own concept of authority into this

26

bigger setting that school constitutes. It means that the authority that is constantly

exercised at schools is confronted with the beliefs the child understands. These conflicting

interests between children and adults present the need for social control which, at the same

time, creates conflict situations (Hemmings and Pace 14).

Although I am focusing on the relationship of children and adults, there is a much

wider concept of authority, which I shall refer to as authority relations. This broader notion

of authority encompasses the relationships between the children themselves as well as

connections between a group of children and adults. There are additional factors affecting

the relationships between children and adults within the school environment, “classroom

authority is jointly negotiated through the symbolic actions of teachers and students and is

shaped by local contextual forces and larger social, political and cultural factors”

(Hemmings and Pace 1). Therefore, the setting of a school in children‟s literature means

that children understand the familiar place and they can compare and explore the diverse

and complex links that occur among other human beings.

Being a part of a system and identifying with fictional characters enables children

to enrich their views and opinions, it basically helps them to grow up. And rebelliousness

in some form is an integral part of the growing up process.

3.3 The need to rebel

Human beings are complex creatures, growing up in a world as diverse as a human

psyche is. It is therefore natural to question what is around us and to feel the need to rebel

against something we disagree with or something that does not conform to our beliefs.

Authors that write about rebelliousness must have, at some stage, been confronted

with such situations. They feel the need to channel their own understanding of these

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situations into the stories they create. To understand closer motives of writers one would

have to delve into their personal lives. Since, to some extent, we are all “to a large degree

shaped by the very institutions and practices whose authority we question” (White x). The

word „institution‟ need not mean only the formal settings of schools or other official

organizations. It encompasses also smaller social groups, such as peer groups or in its most

basic, the family. Literature can thus depict the institutions of society, whereby “a group of

people called an institution, something bigger than we are, makes a judgement, and a form

of institutional control determines for us something we would like to determine for

ourselves” (Lukens 7). The maturing of an individual‟s life is helped by reading.

Children‟s novels represent the society of the authors and the readers. They “reflect

what society thinks is culturally and educationally suitable for its children, from protective,

idealistic, or educational motives” (Hunt “Children‟s novel”). The word „rebellion‟ evokes

notions of conflict, power, opposition, fight but also feelings of hope and morality. One

therefore feels that writers have the need to portray situations where they are able to show

children means to solve conflicts. And they achieve this through their fictional characters.

Writers make their characters behave as their readers might and they have the power to

enable the characters to act out anything their creators want them to do. In my view, there

is one essential factor – the writers are adults, grown up human beings who once were

children themselves. And this fact means that for authors to write successful novels, they

have to reflect their own experience in a believable way.

The author that is the subject of my thesis, Roald Dahl, is famous for novels that

portray people in unusual and frequently extremely unconventional manner. In almost all

his stories readers explore relationships between children and adults in various forms. The

characters from his stories are “at the stages in their psychosocial development similar to

the readers” and often reveal an “independent spirit” (Royer). For Dahl to have achieved

28

such popularity with his novels, he must have possessed a great ability to understand the

children‟s soul. However, in his novels, language, as well as the outcomes of problematic

situations he created purposefully to differ from the common conception of „the good must

prevail‟ play a big role. Through his style of writing Dahl exhibited a “remarkable talent

for fierce psychological realism” (Hunt, “Children‟s literature” 58). A child will read a

story and think little of the underlying reasons for actions happening in it. Nonetheless, as I

mentioned earlier, Dahl‟s novels are read by adults too. Adults read them either by request

of their children or they read by their own choice. The adult is therefore able to see these

underlying issues the novels present and compares them to his own beliefs and experience.

To get explanations, there is no other way but to look in the past.

In an earlier chapter it was mentioned that Dahl never wrote his own official

biography. However, two of his books, Going Solo and Boy, are thought of as

autobiographical. Dahl‟s life was far from simple and there were instances that perhaps

significantly contributed to the style and manner of his writing. To be frank, the events in

his life must have had an enormous impact on him. It may be that the events in his life he

felt as unfair and through his stories he was able to rebel against something that he did not

have power to change. His life and his attitude towards them shaped him to what he was,

just like any other person is shaped by their own life. He felt the need to communicate his

feelings somehow and found that he was successful by putting his thoughts on paper:

The sum of these experiences developed in Dahl the cynical view of society that is conveyed in his

literature. Although most of Dahl‟s contemporary readers have not had the experiences that Dahl

did, through his writing he establishes a common bond with all young people who have been

oppressed or unfairly disciplined. (Royer)

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It is natural for people to contemplate their life. We should be tolerant to the fact

that each person explores their emotions and understands life in a way they find helpful.

The need to rebel is one of these ways and because of authors such as Roald Dahl children

are able to look at life and question the connections within it through reading.

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4. Matilda

4.1 Authority figures in Matilda’s family

One of Roald Dahl‟s most popular stories, Matilda invites readers into a world

filled with fantasy and magical powers. She is a little girl, portrayed as a genius child.

Although being only around five years old in the story, her actions and thoughts show a

maturity well beyond her years.

In the novel, Matilda is described as not just ordinary but “extra-ordinary”,

meaning she was “sensitive but above all brilliant” (M 4). By the age of one and half she

was able to speak almost as an adult and by the age of three, she taught herself to read (M

5). However, right at the very beginning of the story, the narrator introduces an opposition

between Matilda and her parents by portraying them in a very negative way. They see their

daughter as a “scab” and they would like to “pick her off and flick her away” (M 4). Even

further on in the book, the parents keep being depicted unfavourably by calling Matilda

names like “ignorant little twit” or “too stupid” (M 16). This shows that the parents as

primary role models are not really interested in their daughter, they are authority figures

who exercise authority based on power from their dominant position of parents.

The physical attributes by which the parents are described contribute to the

negative perception of them. Matilda‟s father, Mr Wormwood, was “a small ratty-looking

man whose front teeth stuck out underneath a thin ratty moustache”, he liked to wear

“jackets with large brightly coloured checks” and his manner of talking was “never

delicate” (M 16-17). Matilda‟s mother, Mrs Wormwood, is portrayed as “a large woman

whose hair was dyed platinum blonde” which had “mousy-brown bits growing out from

the roots” (M 21). There is also a brother, Michael, who is, in contrast to the parents,

31

“perfectly normal” (M 5). The narrator gives opinions on the parents describing them as

“gormless and so wrapped up in their own silly little lives that they fail to notice anything

unusual about their daughter” (M 4). They are figures of authority to Matilda but because

they do not respect their daughter and do not pay attention to her life, their authority is not

based on respect, which is further supported by them stating that “small girls should be

seen and not heard” (M 5). Children need to feel that they can voice their opinions and that

their parents will still respect them even if they do not agree with their opinions. The

parents are constantly antagonistic towards Matilda even in perfectly ordinary situations.

At one moment, Matilda asks her parents to buy her a book, to which the father‟s reaction

is ridiculously excessive when he shouts at her “What do you want a flaming book for? ...

What‟s wrong with the telly for heaven‟s sake? You‟re getting spoiled my girl! (M 6). He

does not show any respect from his position of a parent towards his child. The parents‟

lack of interest in her makes Matilda to fend for herself and she decides to visit a library

instead.

The importance of reading is emphasised in the story. It provides comfort to her,

she gets “totally absorbed in the wonderful adventures” (M 10). The narrator thus shows

readers that reading can actually provide an opportunity to escape their own problems too.

They are invited to think that they too can experience great adventures like Matilda

because “the books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people

who lived exciting lives” (M 15).

There is one adult character whose authority towards Matilda is based on respect. It

is a local librarian, Mrs Phelps, whom Matilda befriends. Mrs Phelps represents a mother

figure to Matilda, because in her character, Matilda finds someone who is actually

interested in her. This is demonstrated by Mrs Phelps being pleasant, helping Matilda

choose books and enquiring about her family (M 7). Mrs Phelps is also curious about

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Matilda coming into the library on her own and through talking with her she discovers that

her parents are not very concerned about their daughter. Matilda explains that neither of

her parents encourage reading and that they are not much interested in what she does (M

10). Mrs Phelps also learns that Matilda walks through the busy town to get to the library

by herself and displays parental feelings towards Matilda when she gets worried about her.

Nevertheless, by the narrator‟s description she was someone who “minded her own

business and had long since discovered it was seldom worthwhile to interfere with other

people‟s children” (12). So she decides not to challenge the authority of Matilda‟s parents

from her own position of a librarian.

4.2 Matilda’s rebellion at home

Matilda‟s decision to get her hands on books is the first sign of rebellion. She is

rebelling by deciding to get her hands on books over her father‟s disapproval. However,

considering her age, Matilda is not yet aware of this notion of rebellion. On the other hand,

she is able to recognize situations in which she is in the opposition to her father, because

she knows that he “liked to boast”, so she does not hesitate to annoy him - she would “egg

him on shamelessly” (M 16). Matilda recognizes that by boasting he wants to appear more

clever, yet it is Matilda who appears to be the more clever person and by provoking him

into telling her “you‟re too stupid” she gets satisfaction from her own subtle shrewdness

(M 16).

Readers soon start noticing that Matilda is displaying more and more signs of

rebellion against her parents. At first, it is innocent enough. When Matilda‟s father

explains to his family how he makes money through a scam in the car business, she does

not seem to be afraid to contradict him and disagree with him by stating that his way of

33

earning money is “dishonest” and “disgusting” and that he is “cheating people” (M 19).

As mentioned before, Matilda‟s parents‟ authority is not based on respect and this is

reflected in the father‟s reaction to Matilda‟s statement when he hurries to fight back

telling her “who do you think you are…preaching to me about honesty” (M 19). Thus we

can say that his authority is based on power, asserting it by vocal means which helps him

get in the dominant position. The mother strengthens the parental position of authority by

siding with her husband when she adds “quite right, Harry” and orders Matilda to keep her

nasty mouth shut (M 20). Matilda starts reacting to their treatment of her by getting angry

to the point that she “didn‟t trust herself to answer him…she could feel the anger boiling

up inside her” (M 22).

Matilda got to the stage when her parents‟ attitude towards her was making her

think about their behaviour and decides that “she resented being told constantly that she

was ignorant and stupid when she knew she wasn‟t” (M 23). Here, the narrator explains to

readers the reservations Matilda had stating that “she knew it was wrong to hate her

parents like this, but she was finding it very hard not to do so” (M 22). The narrator makes

the reader think that Matilda felt justified in her rebellion. She allows herself to get angry,

as any child probably would when treated by own parents in such a manner. As a result,

she comes to a decision to do something about her place in the family. Even at her young

age she realizes her parents‟ style of authority is not appropriate and decides it necessary to

stand up to them somehow. She decided that “every time her father or her mother was

beastly to her, she would get her own back in some way or another. A small victory or two

would help her tolerate their idiocies and would stop her from going crazy” (M 23). In

effect, she decides to rebel deliberately.

Subsequently, Matilda thinks up various situations where she tries to show

rebellion by creating seemingly mysterious instances that land her parents in various funny

34

or difficult situations. Matilda not only shows her determination but also starts to feel

smug satisfaction when she displays feelings about her private rebellious victories. One

such situation can be seen after the superglue incident, when Matilda smeared superglue

on her father‟s hat and he was forced to wear it stuck on his head for the whole day (M

24). Instead of just being happy with her deed, she enjoyed the satisfactory feeling of her

own power even more by asking her father “What‟s the matter daddy? Has your head

suddenly swollen or something?” provoking him into thinking she might have had

something to do with this incident (M 26).

The parents do notice that their daughter is different to them and cannot accept her

views on life. Their negative attitude towards her intensifies. In one example Mr

Wormwood‟s undue anger is demonstrated when he arrives from work in a bad mood one

evening:

His face was as dark as a thunder-cloud and somebody was clearly for the high-jump pretty soon.

His wife recognized the signs immediately and made herself scarce. He then strode into the living

room. Matilda happened to be curled up in an armchair … totally absorbed in a book … Mr

Wormwood glared at Matilda. She hadn‟t moved … She kept right on reading, and for some reason

this infuriated the father. Perhaps his anger was intensified because he saw her getting pleasure from

something what was beyond his reach. (M 32-33)

Matilda is pleasant to him but because he does not want to lose his dominant position, he

opposes her anyway. He calls her book “trash” and he ends up ripping the book to pieces

(M 33, 35). Matilda is shocked and gets angry at her father‟s demonstration of his

dominance. His absolutely needless display of bad temper in turn justifies Matilda‟s anger

and thus also her reason to rebel. The narrator comments on the whole situation,

suggesting that “there seemed little doubt that the man felt some kind of jealousy” (M 35).

35

Older readers can recognize that the authority Matilda‟s parents show is based on power

and thus they will understand Matilda‟s reasons for rebellion.

The narrator also makes readers explore their own views on the relationship

between Matilda and her parents which in turn forces them to compare their real life

experience. The narrator also expresses his opinions on what Matilda‟s parents should be

when he says she longed for them to be “good and loving and understanding and

honourable and intelligent” (M 43). Nevertheless, she acknowledges her parents are not

nice to her and rebelling against them means she can deal with her situation:

Punishing one or both of them each time they were beastly to her made her life more or less

bearable … her safety-valve, the thing that prevented her from going round the bend, was

the fun of devising and dishing out these splendid punishments. (M 43)

In real life, children as young as Matilda is in the novel would probably not be able to find

the courage to rebel as she does. It is illustrated by the narrator stating that “the fact

remained that any five-year-old girl in any family was obliged to do as she was told,

however asinine the orders might be” (M 43). Matilda‟s world is fictional, an ordinary five

year old girl does not ponder her life like she does. However, her family, although painted

in very unfavourable way, may resemble some parents that do live similar lives in a real

world. Although the events in the story are exaggerated, it can be perceived by some

readers as partly realistic.

The narrator keeps reminding readers Matilda‟s age, for example “she was still

hardly five years old” yet she has devised a way of coping with a difficult situation (M 23).

By this it is implied that even in real life, a child is allowed to question the „all-powerful

grown-ups‟ and subtly advised not to be afraid to stand up for themselves.

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4.3 Matilda and authority figures at school

The second part of the novel centres on Matilda‟s experience of school. The

institution of a school is a major influence on anybody‟s life. Matilda‟s school is

introduced as a “bleak brick building” (M 60). Immediately these words indicate that

unhappiness will appear in this environment too.

There are only two major adult characters, portrayed as extreme opposites of each

other. This also means that it is very likely their attitudes regarding authority will differ

greatly. The Headmistress of the school, Miss Trunchbull, is portrayed as an extremely

negative person. The narrator goes to great lengths to describe her character as terrifyingly

as possible. She was:

The boss, the supreme commander … a formidable middle-aged lady … gigantic holy terror, a

fierce tyrannical monster who frightened the life out of the pupils and teachers alike … there was an

aura of menace about her. (M 60-61)

Matilda‟s class teacher, Miss Honey, is portrayed as a complete opposite of the

Headmistresses. She was described positively:

She had a lovely pale oval madonna face with blue eyes and her hair was light brown. Her body was

slim and fragile … she was a mild and quiet person who never raised her voice and was seldom

seen to smile, but there is no doubt she possessed that rare gift for being adored by every small

child under her care. (M 60)

Miss Honey‟s role as the friendly understanding figure of authority is enforced

right from the start on the very first day of school when Matilda and the children in her

class arrive. The narrator explains that Miss Honey “seemed to understand totally the

37

bewilderment and fear that so often overwhelm young children” (M 61). Young readers

may easily identify with these feelings, because some of them will have experienced

similar feelings when starting school themselves.

The character of Miss Trunchbull is in great contrast to Miss Honey. There is no

doubt for the readers that the authority this person wields will be based on power and that

she will expect obedience of the strictest kind. At this moment, the young reader does not

even contemplate to doubt this figure of authority, whereas the adult readers might

perceive Miss Trunchbull as a satirical figure. The narrator tries to soothe the readers by

stating that it is lucky we “don‟t meet many people like her in this world, although they do

exist and all of us are likely to come across at least one of them in a lifetime” (M 61).

Child readers are thus indirectly told that they should be prepared to expect similar figures

of authority I their real lives. Depending on their experience of teachers, some readers will

be able to identify with this statement.

Through the relationship between Matilda and Miss Honey readers will recognize

that Miss Honey represents authority based on respect. She is amazed at Matilda‟s ability

to read and count and is eager to discover how Matilda learnt everything. At one point of

their conversation about books Matilda shares her opinions on the lack of humour in them

and from her position of a child enlightens her teacher stating that children “are not so

serious as grown-ups and they love to laugh” (M 75). Miss Honey shows her respect by

admiring Matilda, even from the dominant position of authority as a teacher.

4.4 Children’s rebellion at school

Schools represent specific environments where complex relationships develop

between children and teachers. At Matilda‟s school, displays of rebellion show the

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children‟s attitude and their way of coping in such an environment. In the novel, it is

suggested that children of the same age as Matilda do not “search deeply for reasons”, they

are “far too wrapped up in their own small struggles to worry overmuch about what others

are doing and why” (95). Readers are inspired to think about relationships among human

beings and are also gently guided into thinking about reasons why some children do not

know how to deal with problems around them.

There is a character of an older girl, Hortensia, who approaches Matilda and her

friend Lavender and tells them stories of her rebellious exploits against Miss Trunchbull

and feeling wonderful (102). In this respect Hortensia unknowingly identifies with Matilda

who also experienced feelings of satisfaction rebelling brought her. As an older pupil, she

has the experience of confronting the Headmistress‟s authority which clearly shows that

children at the school do rebel against those authority figures that in their eyes deserve it.

It is important to mention that in this story children are severely punished by Miss

Trunchbull. Nonetheless, some pupils are able to overcome the fear of punishment and

rebel against her authority by provoking her anyway. The craving for retaliation to

Trunchbull‟s behaviour seems to be stronger than the fear of reprisals. Hearing the older

girl‟s accounts, Matilda perceives the situation as “war” (103). Hortensia agrees with this

view, calls the children involved in rebellions “crusaders” and lets Matilda know that the

children at this school “try to support each other” (M 103). This creates positive feelings

among the children who unite against a mutual enemy. Readers are again reminded of

possible similarities to their real lives. At times life is tough, in imaginary world as well as

in real world. The readers are encouraged to realize that they are not alone. By supporting

each other in their real life difficult situations can be more bearable, just like it is for

children in Matilda‟s story.

39

On one occasion, after Miss Trunchbull punishes a child brutally just for wearing

her hair in pigtails by throwing her over a fence, Matilda wonders whether the children‟s

parents ever complain and learns from the other children that Miss Trunchbull “treats the

mothers and fathers just the same as the children and they‟re all scared to death of her” (M

110). This enforces the belief that children are scared to stand up for themselves if they

know that their parents are frightened too. Rebellion can be seen as an attempt to force the

parents or any other figures of authority to hear the children out.

Miss Trunchbull‟s character constantly wields her authority that is solely based on

power. There are instances of physical threats, for example when she “stood up on centre

stage…riding crop in hand, glaring” (M 112) or manifestations of vocal insults, for

example when talking to a boy in Matilda‟s class - “you were wrong…you will always be

wrong! You sit wrong! You look wrong! You speak wrong! You are wrong all around!”

(M 146). By describing such situations, the novel provides understandable reasons for the

children to rebel.

There is one interesting occasion when Matilda witnesses a group rebellion of the

children against Miss Trunchbull during the „cake incident‟. The Headmistress wants to

strengthen her power as an authority figure by making all the other children watch the

punishment of a little boy, Bruce, who has to eat a whole huge cake (M 121). However, the

children realise such an exercise of power displayed by Miss Trunchbull is undesirable and

they try to support Bruce through his ordeal:

He had now become very conscious of his audience and of how they were all silently rooting for

him. This was nothing less than a battle between him and the mighty Trunchbull. Suddenly

someone shouted: Come on, Brucie! You can make it. (M 124)

40

The children rebelled together against a dominant authority and won, as in the end the

Headmistress “marched off” defeated (M 126). The readers are thus shown the power of a

group. Although Miss Trunchbull‟s behaviour is absurd and grotesque, readers will be

made to think there could be figures of authorities in the real world that seek power by

inappropriate actions and that it is possible to stand up to them.

4.5 Matilda’s rebellion at school

Considering rebelliousness, the reader knows that Matilda has rebelled against her

parents before and has expressed satisfaction she got from it. At school, it is the character

of Miss Trunchbull that, in a way, takes on the character of Matilda‟s father. She uses the

same negative address towards Matilda as him, calling her a “little brat … real wart …

nasty little worm … little brute … gangster … little viper” (79-83). Her power is clearly

seen from the descriptive language she uses in her position as an authority figure.

Matilda has already experienced rebelliousness in her family and it is not long until

it becomes clear that to survive in the school she will have to rebel also. Although she is

still a young child (five and half when she started school), the narrator portrays her as

someone much more mature.

Although Matilda has not been in an open conflict with an authority herself at the

school yet, she gets accused of several wrongdoings. One of them is a situation when Miss

Trunchbull is inspecting Matilda‟s classroom, takes a drink of water from a jug that is on

the table and finds herself with a newt stuck to her face (M 151). Miss Trunchbull

immediately accuses Matilda without giving her room for defence. Her reaction is greatly

exaggerated, she yells at Matilda:

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You are a vile, repulsive, repellent, malicious little brute! ... You are not fit to be in this school! You

ought to be behind bars … I shall make absolutely sure you are sent to a reformatory for delinquent

girls for the minimum of forty years! (M 156)

This vile outpour of hate does not make Matilda scared but very cross. She was so cross

that “she was beginning to see red” (M 156). This moment of intense anger may be similar

to real situations readers may at times find themselves in. The frustration that arises from

misunderstandings or frustration can be very powerful and rebellion often follows in some

form.

Matilda is a fictional character and she finds a release from her frustration and

anger through discovering she possesses magical powers. Her frustration at being accused

of something she has not done (the culprit was Lavender) causes her to feel a change – “a

sense of power was brewing in those eyes of hers, a feeling of great strength” (M 159). By

releasing her emotions she makes the jug of water Miss Trunchbull was drinking from to

topple over her just by willing for it to happen. Miss Trunchbull again accuses Matilda of

this act, despite there being no proof. Rebelling in this imaginary way by focusing her will

makes Matilda calm down - “a strange feeling of serenity and confidence was sweeping

over her and all of a sudden she found that she was frightened by nobody in the world”

(162). Readers will empathise with Matilda and perhaps envy her because in real life

children are not able to possess such special powers just to release their own frustration.

They need to find a different way to rebel. Very young readers may feel more frustration at

the inability to rebel against figures of authorities they are in conflict with, but older

readers will realise that they must find means by which they can make themselves heard

too.

The character of Matilda also symbolises a child who does not have anybody close

with whom she could share her feelings. Due to her coming from a dysfunctional family,

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she is drawn to the character of her teacher, Miss Honey, who represents a figure of

authority based on respect. The reader can perceive signs of the deep affection they have

for each other, because as soon as Matilda started school Miss Honey demonstrated a deep

interest in her. The narrator implies that children often crave the company of someone with

whom they could share their innermost feelings, someone against whom they would not

need to rebel. Matilda feels her special powers are a burden to her and longs to speak to

someone she could trust:

She couldn‟t possibly keep a gigantic secret like that bottled up inside her. What she needed was

just one person, one wise and sympathetic grown-up, who could help her to understand the

meaning of this extraordinary happening. Neither her mother nor her father would be of any use at

all. (M 164)

The narrator explicitly dismisses the option of help from the parents, therefore Matilda

feels that she does not need to rebel against Miss Honey but is able to turn to her for

advice, she asks if they could have a “private talk” (165). Miss Honey obliges and Matilda

senses a friendly connection between them and is able to demonstrate her feelings freely:

And now that they were alone, Matilda all of a sudden became wildly animated. It seemed as

though a valve had burst inside her and a great gush of energy was being released. (M 171)

She is not even thinking of their relationship as one of a dominant and subordinate person

that teacher and pupil represent.

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4.6 Miss Honey’s rebellion and Matilda’s role

The novel does not revolve only around the interactions between children and

adults. There is a parallel story of the relationship between Miss Honey and other adults.

She is a figure of authority herself but rebels against other adults in the same position. She

exercises authority based on respect and comes into conflict with those figures of

authorities that show authority based on power.

Although Miss Honey is an adult as well as a teacher, she seems to be in a

subordinate position towards the Headmistress, just as Matilda is from her subordinate

position of a pupil. The reader discovers that Miss Honey is afraid of Miss Trunchbull, so

much so that she was “terrified…and kept well away from her” (76). This automatically

puts them into opposition. Miss Honey can be perceived as if she was child in reality,

someone who is afraid of more powerful authority, but who is trying to gather the strength

to rebel against it. She finally decides to confront the Headmistress when Matilda is

accused of putting a stink-bomb under Miss Trunchbull‟s desk. She is determined to

defend Matilda and finds the courage to stand up to the Headmistress insisting that she was

“completely mistaken” about Matilda (M 80). Nevertheless, Miss Trunchbull states that

she is “never mistaken” and thus retains her dominant position over Miss Honey (M 80).

By using the character of Miss Honey in such a situation, the author covertly tells the child

readers not to be afraid to stand up for themselves. Miss Trunchbull‟s reaction may also

induce feelings of fear, but the actual fact that Miss Honey did try to stand up for herself

and at the same time for Matilda makes the reader aware of the power authority figures

may operate with. It means that readers can learn about different ways authority figures

behave, which helps them to understand relationships better. The resoluteness Miss Honey

shows also strengthens the message of not giving up:

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Miss Honey turned and walked out of the study feeling depressed but by no means defeated. I am

going to do something about this child, she told herself. I don‟t know what it will be, but I shall find

a way to help her in the end. (M 83)

In real life, readers commonly encounter situations in which they feel powerless and need

to find the strength to rebel.

Another conflicting situation presents itself when Miss Honey decides to visit

Matilda‟s parents and talk to them about their daughter‟s progress and the possibility of

placing Matilda in a more advanced class. Miss Honey thus rebels against her superior,

Miss Trunchbull, because she strongly opposes this suggestion concerning Matilda.

However, Matilda‟s parents do not seem to be interested in their daughter‟s schooling at

all, to the point that they shift their parental duties onto Miss Honey declaring Matilda is

her “responsibility from now on” (M 86). Here, adults are involved in a confrontation

concerning dominant authority figures – parents and a teacher. They should be able to

resolve the problem easily, but it is Miss Honey who makes the parents to shift into

subordinate position here and rebels against their view of Matilda when she sees they are

more interested in their television:

Mr Wormwood, she said, if you think some rotten TV programme is more important than your

daughter‟s future, then you ought not to be a parent! Why don‟t you switch the darnn thing off and

listen to me! That shook Mr Wormwood. He was not used to being spoken to in this

way…Nobody invited Miss Honey to sit down so she chose a chair and sat down anyway. (M 88-

89)

The narrator makes the readers feel respect for Miss Honey. When she feels strongly about

her opinions, she is not afraid to show them and thus rebel against views that she does not

agree with.

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A more important interaction between two adults regarding rebellion is that of Miss

Honey and Miss Trunchbull. In the latter part of the novel it is disclosed to the reader that

Miss Trunchbull is in fact Miss Honey‟s aunt (M 200). Readers learn that Miss Trunchbull

effectively brought Miss Honey up and that their relationship used to be one of great

enmity. They also learn that Miss Honey admits that even when she became an adult and

was thus in the same position socially, she still used to feel herself be in the subordinate

position to her aunt. She was afraid of her and did not have the strength to rebel against

her:

I was by then dominated by my aunt to such an extent that I wouldn‟t have dared [to leave the

household]. You can‟t imagine what‟s it like to be completely controlled like that by a very strong

personality. (M 194)

Miss Honey‟s admission of her weakness – “I hadn‟t the courage or the guts to say no”

allows the child readers to learn that even adults are human and may have very similar

feelings to them. To rebel, one must find the strength and also the opportunity to do so (M

195). Nevertheless, Miss Honey was able to leave the dysfunctional home where her aunt,

Miss Trunchbull, ruled with an iron fist and expressed her joy at finding the strength to

rebel and stand up for herself – “I was free at last … I can‟t tell you how wonderful it was”

(M 197).

When Matilda learns of Miss Honey‟s life and later on of the family connection

between her and Miss Trunchbull, the roles of dominant and subordinate roles swap and

Matilda becomes the „adult‟ in the dominant position, listening and empathising with Miss

Honey who in turn expresses her wonder at Matilda‟s attitude:

It was extraordinary, she told herself, how this little snippet of a girl seemed suddenly to be taking

charge of her problems, and with such an authority, too! (M 201 – 202)

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As the story reaches the end, Matilda has a role in helping resolve the old conflict

between Miss Trunchbull and Miss Honey. Miss Honey implied to Matilda that her aunt

may have had something to do with her father‟s death (M 192). Therefore Matilda decides

to solve the problem of Miss Trunchbull dominating the school and the lives of the

children there by using her special powers to make her leave. She wills a chalk to write

certain sentences on the board that make Miss Trunchbull think that her behaviour towards

Miss Honey from their private lives is known and thus exposed to the others (M 214 -215).

She subsequently leaves the school and the story too (M 221).

This culmination of events figuratively illustrates that evil (represented by Miss

Trunchbull) has lost against good (represented by the children and Miss Honey). The

figure of dominant authority that is based on power is presented as undesirable.

4.7 The effects of Matilda’s rebellion

Some children who do not feel confident enough will look up to other people.

Some characters in the story take notice how others behave and wish to gain more

confidence too. Matilda‟s friend, Lavender, hears of Matilda‟s rebellious exploits against

her father and she is full of admiration for Matilda, longing to be able to also make her

stand too. She feels it was “her turn now to become a heroine” (M 130). Clearly, Lavender

wants to find the strength to rebel against the unpleasant figure of authority that their

Headmistress represents.

Although being a child, Matilda is constantly portrayed as someone much older due

to her behaviour in some circumstances. For example when Matilda visits Miss Honey‟s

house and realises that Miss Honey is poor, she does not show surprise or ask questions,

but shows maturity by considering the adult person‟s feelings - “she seemed to be aware of

47

the delicacy of the situation and she was taking great care not to say anything to embarrass

her companion” (M 183). This sentence makes readers realise that children are capable of

empathising with adults too. Even Miss Honey herself recognizes the subtle power Matilda

has from her position of a young child with a mature mind, readily admitting to her that “I

was never a strong character like you” (M 192).

The story started with Matilda living in an unhappy family environment. Her

parents represented authority that was not based on respect, nevertheless, in this fictional

world readers experience a happy ending. Matilda‟s relationship with Miss Honey

develops further and Matilda rebels against her parents one last time. The parents are

running away to live in Spain after Mr Wormwood‟s scam with the car business is

exposed. Matilda decides she does not want to stay with them and asks Miss Honey if she

can stay with her instead (M 229). She rebels against their decision to such an extent that

she effectively chooses to cut herself off from her family. The contrast of respect the adults

have for Matilda is seen in the way they resolve this situation. Miss Honey states “I would

love to have Matilda” and the parents agree - “It‟ll be one less to look after” (M 232). They

are not bothered that they are rejecting their own child.

Such a situation would hardly take place in the real world. Furthermore, it can be

debated whether this is meant to be a happy ending. The readers see that rebellion got

Matilda where she wanted to be in the end. However, taking into consideration the fact that

throughout the book Matilda has displayed maturity beyond her years, I would have

expected her to want her parents to be reformed.

Nevertheless, the subject of authority figures and rebellion in the novel is explored

interestingly from various angles. The reader is left to ponder the story‟s ending and to

explore the diversity of power authority figures may hold. Both child and adult readers

48

learn that rebellion is a way to make oneself heard and deal with feelings as the narrator

showed throughout the story.

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5. The Witches

5.1 The character of a witch in the novel

The Witches is a novel telling a story of pure fantasy, though written in a very

convincing style. The protagonist, a seven year old boy called Luke, is also the narrator.

He lives with his parents in England and frequently visits his grandmother in Norway. She

is the central adult character in the novel, a person who provides love and support for

Luke. The story reflects some aspects of Dahl‟s own life. Luke lives in England with

Norwegian parents, the same situation that Dahl experienced as a child. In the novel both

of Luke‟s parents die and Luke is left to be brought up by his grandma. In Dahl‟s real life,

his father died and his mother was left to look after the children. Luke‟s grandmother tells

him stories about witches from a young age just as Dahl‟s grandma told him too.

The whole of first chapter deals with a description of a witch and offers advice on

how to recognize one. At this moment, the reader does not know who the narrator is.

Young readers will thus assume that the narrator is the author. And because the author is a

real person young readers will be easily influenced to believe that what is written down is

real, because an author represents an adult figure of authority to them. The narrator makes

a persuasive claim in the second sentence stating that this story is not a work fiction, it is

not “a fairy-tale. This is about REAL WITCHES” (W 1). Young readers are then definitely

drawn into the narrative believing it could be true. This belief is further strengthened by

the narrator advising readers that they “should know about real witches” and that they

must “listen very carefully “because witches are “hard to catch” (W 1).

The character of a witch is described in great detail, trying to appear convincing to

the young reader‟s mind. There is emphasis on witches looking “very much like ordinary

50

women” and suggesting they live “ordinary lives” (W 1). As a contrast to this normality,

the narrator states that witches are different on the inside and what unites them is hatred of

children (W 1). This loathing of children is their central character trait, they are meant to

be constantly “plotting to get rid of children” and their mind are filled with “murderous

bloodthirsty thoughts” (W 1).

Even though the young reader might be aware that a witch is not a real human

being, the persuasive manner in which this chapter is written is very powerful to bring

doubts to the young minds. An allegation that “a witch never gets caught” supports this

claim (W 3). If it is not possible to catch witches, young readers will think that nobody can

disprove their existence. However, readers will be able to partly relax when the narrator

mentions that witches have special powers. This will offer readers reassurance that it is a

story of fantasy (W 3). Nevertheless, at the end of the chapter the narrator still tries to

manipulate the readers‟ minds, suggesting that a witch could even be disguised as their

own teacher:

I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying

is that she might be one. It is most unlikely. But – and here comes the big „but‟ – it is not

impossible. (W 5)

Later, Luke learns that witches have a leader, “The Grand High Witch Of All The

World” (W32). This witch is portrayed as a dominant figure, “all-powerful … without

mercy … gives orders” and her behaviour makes the other witches be “petrified of her” (W

32-33). This character is thus given a status of an authority figure with her authority based

on power. The story sets a contrast between the two opposing adult figures of authority,

the Grandmother and the Grand High Witch.

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The narrator has stated that the witches look like ordinary women, which makes

them assume roles of adult authority figures. Young readers will automatically accept this

frightening image of a witch as a dominant authority figure, because they are only children

who are in subordinate position to adults.

5.2 Authority figures in Luke’s family

The following chapter immediately introduces Luke as the narrator. At first he

outlines what preceded the main events of the story. Although initially living a happy life

with both parents, they are killed in a car accident and Luke is to be cared for by his

grandmother (W 7). Their relationship is very positive as Luke says he “adored her” (W 6).

Therefore to him, the grandmother represents a figure of authority based on respect.

Despite losing his parents, his family environment is loving and Luke does not display any

rebelliousness towards his grandma.

She is the person who tells him stories about witches and warns Luke about them.

Luke does not know whether to believe her because she tells stories in a very convincing

way, insisting that “her witch stories were not imaginary tales” (W 8). However, Luke

expresses misgivings about her resolute allegations concerning the truth about witches:

Although I was very young, I was not prepared to believe everything my grandmother told me. And

yet she spoke with such conviction, with such utter seriousness, and with never a smile on her face

or a twinkle in her eye, that I found myself beginning to wonder. (W 15)

Deep down Luke possibly knows that what grandma tells him about witches is not true, yet

he respects his grandma perceiving her as the dominant figure of authority and does not

want to challenge her. The traditional beliefs in the society usually recognize an adult as an

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authority figure from the child‟s point of view. Therefore Luke, being a young child, has a

strong tendency to believe his grandmother. Nevertheless, he is torn between believing and

not trusting his grandma, because he is constantly wondering about this problem and trying

to reason with himself:

I couldn‟t believe my grandmother would be lying to me. She went to church every morning of the

week and she said grace before every meal, and somebody who did that would never tell lies. I was

beginning to believe every word she spoke. (26)

Luke as the narrator is indirectly speaking to the readers suggesting they too could think

about the problem of whether to trust adults, though some readers may find the connection

between people who regularly attend church and their improbability to lie misleading.

The respect Luke and his grandmother have for each other can be felt from both of

them. The grandmother‟s advice to Luke is at times given indirectly, for example when she

states that it is “important to respect the wishes of the parents” (W 29). This sentence is

touching the subject of rebelliousness between children and their parents in real life.

Sometimes children see their parents‟ demands as unnecessary or stupid, but Luke, as the

narrator, is similar in age to the readers and thus forces them to think deeper about the

purpose and rightfulness of parents‟ requirements.

5.3 The main conflict

The story continues with Luke and his grandmother planning to go to Norway for

holiday. Unfortunately, she falls ill and they are advised by the doctor to stay in England

instead. They are going to spend their holidays in a hotel in Bournemouth (W 45).

53

Luke has learned from his grandmother that witches organize meetings led by their

leader, the Grand High Witch. Unbeknown to Luke and to readers at that point in the story

is the fact that the witches are having their annual meeting in the same hotel Luke and

grandma are staying in. It will be revealed later that the witches are in fact disguised as an

RSPCC association, which stands for the “Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Children” (W 49).1

There is contrast between the concept of a witch as a terrifying being that hates

children and the description of the society the witches hide behind which is meant to

prevent cruelty to children. Young readers will not be aware of this fact, yet the adult

readers will notice the comparison to the real organization. When Luke mentions that these

ladies could visit his school to do “a bit of cruelty-to-children preventing” there, adult

readers will think of any possible connections of the author‟s own experience of school (W

55).

Luke‟s encounter with the witches in the hotel introduces the major conflict. Luke

wanders into the room where the witches‟ conference is to be held and accidentally gets

locked with them (W 57). However, because he is hiding behind a curtain, he can watch

the meeting‟s proceedings. He is curious as the events unfold in front of his eyes and it

soon dawns on him that these ladies are really witches in disguise. The realisation that his

grandmother was indeed telling the truth terrifies him, “his blood turned to ice” and he

“began to shake all over” (W 57). By this situation the position of Luke‟s grandmother as a

respectful figure of authority is firmly confirmed and reinforced.

The character of the Grand High Witch represents a figure of authority based on

power which is demonstrated by her treatment of the other witches during the meeting.

1 Adult readers will recognize a pun that the author has used. The abbreviation RSPCC is a reference

to a real association - NSPCC, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which is a real

organization that “protects children being treated badly” (“NSPCC”).

54

When one of them “dares to argue” with her, she is exterminated (W 67). This act of

rebellion between two adult characters is unrealistic and I think readers will perceive it as

too cruel. The unfortunate witch tried to apologise saying she “didn‟t mean to argue” and

that she was “just talking to herself” (W 67). Children will identify with this rational plea,

but they will be left to ponder the justification of such a harsh punishment.

The main purpose of the witches‟ meeting is to try out a special potion by which

children will be turned into mice. As the conference proceeds, Luke witnesses one of the

hotel guests, a young boy called Bruno, being lured into the room and turned into a mouse

as a trial of the potion (W 98). Bruno does not expect any attack on him and so does not

have the chance to think of rebellion. Unfortunately, Luke is discovered in his hiding place

and he is also turned into a mouse (W 110).

5.4 Children’s rebellion

With both of the boys turned into mice, they do not know what to do. Luke does

not seem too fazed by the fact he is a mouse stating he was feeling “quite remarkably well”

(W 11). Bruno, on the other hand, does not take to being a mouse as easily as Luke does.

He refuses to be a mouse and does not want to “live in a hole” (W 115). He wants to rebel

against his fate calling on the authority of his father – “wait till my father hears about this”

(W 114). His chooses a simple solution to rebel against his predicament by shielding

himself with an adult figure of authority his father represents. However, Bruno‟s hope of

help from his father is dashed when Luke suggests that Bruno‟s parents may not be

prepared to accept him as a mouse (W 115). After a while, Bruno agrees with Luke that his

father will be “a bit put out” and his mother is “terrified of mice” anyway (W 115-116).

This implies that Bruno thinks he will not be able to rely on his parents. There is contrast

55

to Luke who is sure that his grandmother will certainly help, she “will know exactly what

to do” (W 116). Thus the child readers will think about their own lives whether there

would also be someone who would understand their problems and who would support

them in real life.

When finally Luke and Bruno show themselves to Luke‟s grandma, she is shocked

by their appearance as mice. Here, Luke steps into the dominant position of authority when

he assumes the role of an adult over his grandmother as he consoles her by saying that

“things could be a lot worse” (W 119).

Together, they subsequently devise a plan to eliminate the witches by turning the

witches‟ original plot of transforming children into mice against them (W 127). Luke and

his grandmother are thus metaphorically rebelling against a predicament which signifies

that the readers may need to solve some overwhelming problems in real life as well. Even

though the readers will perceive the fact that the hero of the story is a talking mouse as

fantasy, there is an underlying message of determination and will to achieve justice.

5.5 The adult’s authority and rebellion

The character of the grandmother is portrayed as one that exercises authority with

respect towards Luke. Their close relationship is emphasised when the advice she gives

him will appeal to the children‟s mind, for example she tells Luke he should not wash too

often, as it was easier for witches to pick clean children – “the dirtier you are, the less you

smell” and that having a bath just once a month is “quite enough for a sensible child” (W

21). This is contrary to the parents‟ common practice of requiring children to maintain

more frequent rate of washing. Effectively, by her statement she rebels against this cultural

view people have of hygiene standards in our society today.

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The character of a doctor who advised Luke and his grandmother to holiday in

England represents another figure of authority. He is present only briefly but stresses his

authority over Luke by influencing him to make the decision not to travel to Norway. He

manipulates Luke‟s emotionally by implying that if he insists on travelling to Norway, his

grandma could die (W 45). From his subordinate position of a child and due to his young

age, Luke does not question the doctor‟s authority and feels that rebellion is pointless.

A conflict between two adult figures of authority occurs between grandmother and

the manager of the hotel she and Luke are staying in. Luke is in trouble for taking his pet

mice with him to the hotel and the manager of the hotel tells his grandmother that mice are

not permitted there. However, her reaction to his indirect command to get rid of the mice is

exaggerated when she retaliates:

How dare you say that when your rotten hotel is full of rats anyway…I saw one this very

morning…You had better get a rat-catcher in at once ...before I report you to the Public Health

Authorities…my breakfast was all nibbled round the edges…Are you or are you not going to allow

my grandson to keep his white mice in his room? (W 46-48)

By this reaction the grandmother puts herself into an even more dominant position over the

manager. Before, there is no mention her seeing rats in the hotel, so in effect she helps her

grandson to be allowed to keep the mice through lying to the manager. Luke does not

comment on this fact, although the situation shows readers that even a respected figure of

authority can tell lies. Whether or not the readers will be able to understand the context and

whether it will make them think about the appropriateness of lying is debatable. They may

feel grateful that there is a figure of authority that understands children and offers support

or they may be confused as to why the grandmother needs to lie.

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5.6 The implications of the story’s events

Luke‟s and grandmother‟s mission to destroy the witches is accomplished, the

witches in the hotel are destroyed and amidst the uproar grandmother leaves the hotel with

Luke and they return to Norway (W 183).

At the beginning of the novel Luke‟s thoughts and behaviour was like that of a

typical young child. However, through the subsequent events Luke‟s thinking has matured

and he took on the attributes of an adult authority figure. The respect, love and

understanding between Luke and his grandmother are important messages in the novel and

despite the fact that at the end of the novel Luke remains a mouse, the love of his

grandmother towards him never wavers. It is summed up in a moment when Luke tells his

grandma that he does not mind being a mouse, because “it doesn‟t matter who you are or

what you look like so long as somebody loves you” (190). Young readers will be able to

realize that they can look for help among people who love them which will make them feel

stronger if they are finding communication with adult figures of authority difficult.

Although the last part of the novel revolves around the plot of eliminating the

witches, there is a parallel story exploring the feelings of Luke who has been turned into a

mouse. He is left with the mind of a boy inside a mouse body. Far from being troubled, he

seems to be happy at being a mouse as he reflects on his situation:

What‟s so wonderful about being a little boy anyway? Why is that necessarily any better than

being a mouse? I know that mice get hunted and they sometimes get poisoned or caught in traps.

But little boys sometimes get killed…run over by motor-cars…die of some awful illness…have

to go to school. Mice don‟t. Mice don‟t have to pass exams…worry about money… When mice

grow up, they don‟t ever have to go to war and fight against other mice. Mice, I felt pretty

certain, all like each other. People don‟t. (W 112-113)

58

Luke as the narrator is comparing the life of mice to the life of humans and emphasises

that humans have a more difficult life. In the last sentence Luke declares he is certain that

people do not like each other. It is a surprising statement coming from him as in the story

he does have the love and support of his grandmother and his parents provided security in

a loving home too before they died. Therefore, child readers will be confused and will

question this statement. They are left thinking whether to agree with Luke‟s views on the

life of little children or whether to dismiss them as unrealistic.

What the quoted paragraph does express is a subtle rebelliousness against the

misfortune he has of being a mouse. He wants to show that the authority of the witches

that is based on power does not defeat him and his resolve to bear his fate is a sign of

strength.

The character of a witch epitomises the evil and immorality of human character.

The grandmother describes the witches as if they were real women, which implies that in

real life some adults may also conceal the negative traits of their characters. The novel thus

explores the possibility of adult authority figures enforcing power covertly, leaving

children to find ways to respond by rebelling. Luke and his grandma settle into a

seemingly normal life but the rebelliousness comes to the forefront again when they make

it their new mission to destroy witches across the whole world (W 201).

At the beginning the story has kept the readers speculating whether it the characters

and events could be truthful but the end of the novel tells them that the story is undeniably

a part of the fantasy world.

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6. Conclusion

Analysing literature for children presents a tricky task. It is usually an adult who

tries to analyse literary works from the adult‟s point of view and who attempts to explore

an environment that is created primarily for children.

Both novels I have analysed show worlds that are unrealistic, with The Witches

bordering on the absurd. While in both stories the worlds are imaginary, I feel Matilda is

more believable. Both novels take readers through truly frightening events although with

ever present humour. Dahl‟s skill to combine these two qualities with his masterful use of

English language has won the hearts of children around the world.

I have read and reread Matilda and The Witches a few times and also tried to find

out what kind of a man Roald Dahl was in reality. I have come to the conclusion that his

life presented him with many events that had a great influence on his writing. Both novels

present a family that is in some way dysfunctional, mirroring his own life. He was able to

subtly weave his memories into fictional stories giving readers the opportunity to find any

similarities to their own lives.

Numerous model situations of rebellious conflicts between various types of

authority figures occur throughout. Considering that Dahl spent a great part of his youth in

boarding schools, it seems that through his writing he was able to reflect on his experience

of them. If we consider that his outlook on life is projected through his writing, we see

there is a man who harbours some resentment inside himself and needs to deal with it

through writing.

In Matilda the story covers many issues that young readers deal with in real life

too. Children are able to find examples of authority figures they may meet in real life and

thus they understand the rebellious situations the protagonist has to deal with. Families are

60

not always pleasant to live in and teachers may seem unapproachable both in fiction as

well as in reality. By balancing the occurrence of negative characters with a number of

positive ones the story enables readers to feel hope that in their lives they may find a

person who would understand them just as Matilda found support in the character of Miss

Honey.

The Witches offer a completely different world. Although the main protagonist,

Luke, lives only with his grandma, their family environment is a happy one. Other

authority figures he comes into contact with are several other adults. Instances of rebellion

in this novel focus on Luke finding ways to overcome difficulties and feel strong in the

belief that good will prevail. Readers will note this indirect message and will therefore feel

inclined to read the novel again, possibly in times when they are facing challenging

situations in their real lives.

I believe that Dahl‟s portrayal of formal figures of authority in mocking situations

in these novels and the fact that he portrayed adults unfavourably have contributed to the

popularity of his novels with children. Often, he made fun of the authority figures without

restrictions and was not afraid to present them in ways our society might not approve of.

The rebellion in the novels carries a message of strength which readers find desirable,

admiring these characters and sometimes identifying with them.

The novels show some underlying disrespect for traditional social standards, yet

the positive moral message of love between human beings is also visible. All children

reach troubled moments in their lives and have to make a stand for themselves. In effect,

Dahl sides with the children and his ability to understand their souls has won him the

popularity he rightly deserves.

61

MABBETTOVÁ, Anna. Rebellion Against Authority in the Works of Roald Dahl:

Diploma Thesis. Brno: Masaryk University, Faculty of Education, English Language and

Literature Department, 2012. 65 p. Supervisor: Mgr. Pavla Buchtová.

Annotation

This diploma thesis deals with the concept of rebellion and authority with respect

to literature. The focus of this work is on the analysis of two children‟s novels by the

British author Roald Dahl, Matilda and The Witches. The first part of the thesis explores

the connection of literature, society and children and the theoretical aspects of authority

and rebellion. The main part of this work is concerned with the analysis of the novels with

regard to the concept of authority and rebellion. The aim of this diploma thesis is to

explore and compare instances of conflicts with authority and reasons for rebellion in both

novels. In addition, the findings will be discussed in terms of possible implications on

readers and thus also on the popularity of these novels.

Key words: Roald Dahl, Matilda, The Witches, authority, rebellion, children‟s literature,

society, conflict, family, school

62

MABBETTOVÁ, Anna. Rebelství proti autoritám v dílech Roalda Dahla: Diplomová

práce. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, Pedagogická fakulta, Katedra anglického jazyka a

literatury, 2012. 65 p. Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Pavla Buchtová.

Anotace

Tato diplomová práce se zabývá pojetím autority a rebelství ve vztahu k literatuře.

Předmětem analýzy jsou dvě díla pro děti britského autora Roalda Dahla, Matilda a The

Witches. První část práce je zaměřena na vztah literatury, společnosti vzhledem

k dětskému čtenáři a na teoretické aspekty pojetí autority a rebelství. Hlavní částí práce je

analýza zmíněných děl ve spojitosti s konceptem autority a rebelství. Cílem práce je

prozkoumat a porovnat konfliktní situace a příčiny k rebelství v obou dílech a také zjistit,

zda mohou mít tyto situace nějaký vliv na čtenáře a na popularitě autorových děl.

Klíčová slova: Roald Dahl, Matilda, The Witches, autorita, rebelství, dětská literatura,

společnost, konflikt, rodina, škola

63

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