The Expression Hub

Author: Roald Dahl

Genre: Children’s literature/ fantasy

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”

-Angela Schwindt

My sincerest apologies for posting this one a week late. But sometimes life becomes too busy especially when you have a festival around and you are busy enjoying it in order to take a little break from your daily routine. However, now that the festivities are over, I can assure you that there will be updates posted consistently unless and until some piece of literature or something is really taking a time. I generally have the habit of completing something and then posting it. So, that is the reason sometimes the posts are a bit delayed. But I appreciate the patience and the support shown by my readers and subscribers. And for that, I will be grateful forever from the bottom of my heart. Maybe it is your love and encouragement that keeps me going even when I don’t feel like writing.

Okay, so returning to the pick of the week, this one too revolves around a relationship which is shared by a student and a teacher. After all, a bond between a teacher and a student is special. Especially, if the teacher appreciates us for allowing us to be the person we are. This is because to put it in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

About the book: Matilda revolves around the girl of the same name who lives in a dysfunctional family. She is a prodigy by nature who shows some extraordinary abilities like learning to speak at the age of one and read at the age of three and a half. However, her abilities are not appreciated by her family as she is considered as a brat especially by her father. This fact annoys her that she is always undermined by her family due to which she ends up playing pranks on her family members which satisfies her.

At the age of five and a half years, she is admitted to school. She finds support in her teacher Jennifer who is astounded by her intellectual abilities. Jennifer feels that Matilda should be moved to a higher class. However, the same is refused by the headmistress of the school Miss Trunchbull who is a tyrant by nature. Jennifer also tries to communicate the same with her parents. But her parents dismiss about the same.

While Miss Trunchbull terrorizes the students with her creative yet over-the-top punishments and her parents continue to dismiss her, Matilda develops a strong bond with her teacher. The teacher too finds an ally in her and starts revealing her thoughts to her. But will the bond between the two sustain? Or will some circumstances force them to break apart?

Analysis: This is a book that explores a lot of themes like how it is to be raised in a family which always looks down upon your abilities, of how people take benefit especially if you are obligated under them, of how people treat other in a cruel manner , of how people think that they can fool others and consider themselves as smart.

Though the book is considered as a piece of children’s literature, there are some instances which cannot be considered child-friendly. They are pretty violent by nature. The parts which involve punishments given by Miss Trunchbull to her students if they dare to defy her orders are pretty violent. Or the treatment which Miss Trunchbull metes out to Miss Jennifer which forces Miss Jennifer to be under her obligation always. However, the parts where Matilda plays pranks when her parents annoy her or her bonding with Miss Jennifer are the parts which are fun to read. This is because it highlights the resilience which Matilda portrays while dealing with her parents as well as the feeling of empathy and admiration that she has for her teacher. The book also deals with the theme of telekinesis which is an extraordinary ability that Matilda possess and which she uses to serve justice to Miss Honey.

Verdict: A book with varied themes which offers various insights into how a human being deals with the surroundings he or she has. In the above case, it gives a sneak peek into how it is to be brought up in a family which always looks down upon you. This book will be deeply resonated by people who have been brought up in dysfunctional families. It also highlights the fact that how someone’s empathy and care can heal the deepest of the wounds. Though termed as a child literature, this is a book which cannot be read to children even though it deals with children. So, do practice caution about the same when making this a choice for your child. This is because of some violent parts in the book. As far as adults are concerned, they do somewhat have the maturity to deal with such topics. However, if you are an adult who has faced such situations in your childhood, it is best to avoid this book. The reason is that the book can act as a trigger to certain situations.

Cite Bite: “Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable.”

Que: Where do the Wormwoods escape?

a. England

b. United States of America

c. Spain

d. Australia