The Character Of Matilda By Roald Dahl's Matilda

When the class sang songs about happiness and games her lips barely moved.” Margot ignored the other children, the only time she participated was when an activity mentioned the sun. Margot keeps herself apart from the rest of the class while she talks about experiences with the sun, when that is what the kids want the most. Although Margot’s classmates hurt her because of their jealousy, Margot was also partly to blame for since she keeps mentioning something that her classmates has always wanted.

Based on Roald Dahl’s novel, Matilda is the story of an unwanted girl born to abusive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, that want nothing to do with her. The incredible conniving Mr. Wormwood, played by David Birch, is a used car salesman who will sell a lemon to anyone to make some quick cash. Mrs. Wormwood, played by Marianne Benedict, is so caught up in her ballroom dancing championships that she totally neglects the fact that she is so visibly pregnant. However, the child she gives birth to is Matilda Wormwood and she is an exceptional little girl with mind powers and an innate ability to read and tell stories. Later on Matilda is sent to a dreadful school under the leadership of the callous headmaster, Miss Trunchbull. Miss Trunchbull, played by David Shannon, is tyrannical and merciless in her approach to dealing with children and even goes as far to say the phrase “Children are

The overt neglect of her prodigal intellect experienced by Matilda leaves her feeling misunderstood and an outsider in her family which differs from the perceived neglect which leaves Coraline struggling with her sense of self. Born to parents described as “gormless” (Dahl 4), Matilda is both blessed and cursed with a prodigal intellect. Causing Matilda to crave knowledge, it is her intellect that leads her at the age of “four years and three months” (9), to defy her parents and everyday walk to the library. Matilda admits to this neglect to Mrs. Phelps, the librarian, when she tells her of her mother, “She doesn’t encourage reading books. Nor does my father” (10). With this statement Matilda shows how her parents have neglected to foster her intellect. Matilda’s eagerness to digest information, and the fact that the only book in the Wormwood home is her mother’s cookbook, elaborates how she differs from her parents.

The friends of the narrator, however, do not hide in the imaginary world of childhood and are maturing into adolescents. Sally, “ screamed if she got her stockings muddy,” felt they were too old to “ the games” (paragraph 9). Sally stayed by the curb and talked to the boys (paragraph 10).

Though this book is written from a young girl’s point of view, even in the first hundred pages there are various forms of

The setting and time period of this story supports the adventurous innocence of its youthful characters, as well as enriching the story’s momentous and climactic confrontation between the forward-looking Mona, and her more traditional mother, Helen.

Literature teaches kids to feel empathetic for each other. A story allows the reader to put themselves in the character’s shoes and gives us a different perspective on the character’s life. It also shows the reader not to judge someone by their cover because you never know what outside factors are affecting them. For example, Daphne's book is about a shy girl named Daphne, commonly known to others as Daffy Duck. She was raised by an impoverished, mentally ill grandmother, so the other kids would make fun of her. Instead of sympathizing with her, kids pitied her and called her names. “These are the experiences for a young person in which the sort of commonplace

For instance One way that Dahl delighted his readers was to take often vicious revenge on cruel adults who had harmed children, as in Matilda (1988). But even some innocent adults received rough treatment, such as the parents killed in a car crash in The Witches (1983).b

Roald Dahl uses humour in children books he writes to manipulate the reader’s perception of events that occur in the books. The book, Boy is an autobiography written by Roald Dahl. It was his first book and it is a combination of real events in his life. Matilda is one of his fictional books that he wrote later on. Dahl uses events that are actually gruesome and quite horrifying and makes them humorous by using sarcasm, hyperboles, short sentences, imagery, similes and juxtapositions (rose96, 2011). Dahl uses a lot of adjectives to describe the characters in his books to portray them in a humorous way. He uses figures of speech to describe a character and to make this character unique.

In “A Barred Owl” by Richard Wilbur and “The History Teacher” by Billy Collins, the authors both argue that innocence is necessary to cultivate the ideal child via their protective tones, deceptive plot, and contrasting rhyme schemes.

Particularly in 'Barn Owl' and 'The Spelling Prize', Harwood examines children's sadness as they go on their journey from innocence to experience. As time progresses and children begin their development towards adulthood, certain experiences and the way they respond to them can have a significant impact on their growth. In reference to the poem, 'Barn Owl', Harwood suggests that through experiencing and seeing it with their own eyes, they begin to realise the horror of reality. It can have an impact on children's growth as it will be a memories that will be with them permanently. Harwood goes on a journey where she transitions from being an 'obedient, angel-mind' child into a child who has unwittingly tortured an innocent creature. The fact that

Miss Caroline is a brand new teacher and has been trained to teach in a certain way. When she finds that Scout’s premature reading ability disrupts her teaching plan she has no idea what to do with her, and tells Scout not to read at home anymore. ‘Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore, it would interfere with my reading.’ This shows how society is oblivious to individual situations and this can cause achievements to be frowned upon.

Lewis Carroll’s Alice and Frank Baum’s Dorothy are two of the most well-known and well-loved heroines of all time. At first glance, both Alice and Dorothy appear to be rather accurate renditions of actual little girls who embark on their own adventures in strange and fantastical lands. However, closer scrutiny reveals that only one of these characters is a true portrayal of what a little girl is really like, while the other is but a fulfillment of what most girls would only dream of being like.

This charming story reverses the typical roles within a children’s book. With underlying issues of stereotypes, independence and empowerment, it fills children with imagination and teaches them the importance of being strong, smart, and the realization that beauty comes from within.

Literary heroes that are also ordinary children are engaging to readers, particularly child readers. James Pope and Julia Round write that “Roald Dahl is a fascinating author in that his books for children feature child heroes who are very often neither hero nor villain, but a wild, subversive combination of both” (258). These characteristics are also true of Coraline and Harry Potter, as they are presented as imperfect, but ultimately find the power within themselves to save what is important to them. Children readers are empowered by Coraline and Harry because they identify with these ordinary children and feel as if they can also make a difference in their lives, as the characters defeat the evil in theirs.