'If only they would read a Dickens or Kipling, they would soon discover there was more to life than cheating people and watching television.'
Some parents become so blinded by adoration they manage to convince themselves their child has qualities of a genius.
She seemed to know that neither crying nor sulking ever got anyone anywhere.
The Key
Characters:
Matilda, an exceptionally gifted five-year old.
Mrs. Phelps, the librarian, heads Matilda’s journey
into the world of books.
Ms. Honey , Matilda’s class teacher, recognizes the
extroniary talent of the little girl..
Mrs. Trunchbull, Headmistress of the school, the
villain of the piece..
Matilda’s Parents, shamefully obnoxious, beastly
and bullheaded.
The Review.
This is my first book of Roald
Dahl. I like to read Children’s literature from time to time, especially
between my reading trysts with hardcore thrillers.
The story of Matilda appears
like any other simple one, but unveils one twist after another right from the first
chapter to the last. It is an absolute delight to read for avid readers who love
to devour English Literature.
The brilliance of a mere five
year old child, who can read books that most adults struggle with and work out complicated
math with the same ease as a calculator, hooks the reader. Contrary to what one
would expect her parents turn out to be detestable and appalling characters, who
take pleasure in insulting her capabilities rather than being amazed or proud
of her.
The child in Matilda offers the
reader some solace by turning her brilliant mind in paying them back and
thereby keeps the reader glued to the pages.
The perpetual appetite of the child
to glean more knowledge and her unerring dedication to reading is heartwarming.
Ms. Honey’s aspirations to help Matilda upgrade to a higher class is met with
refusal because well, the headmistress of the school is the next antagonist of
the story.
Mrs. Trunchbull is the
quintessential villain that terrifies the strongest souls in the vicinity. How
Matilda uses her intelligence and grit to overcome her challenges, amidst of
host of twists and turns, forms the crux of the story.
The dialogues of the antagonists
are annoying enough to disgust the reader to good measure.
The condescending attitude of Matilda’s
mother, who believes that a girl’s sole calling in life should be to make
herself attractive for a rich man, resonates with life lessons that aim to
teach more about ‘Brains vs Beauty’, than even
most adults would care to admit.
The character of Trunchbull,
although supposed to be terrifying to the young reader is grossly exaggerated.
The parts about where she manhandles the children makes the reader suspend
belief as it is aimed to be. The notion that all the children are relatively
unharmed despite being thrown bodily for miles or having their arms almost
pulled off, fails to ring true.
It would have been more interesting
if the story had not taken a turn towards the supernatural element in the
second half. Although there is an attempt to color Matilda’s levitation ability
to a scientific phenomenon, it does not resonate smoothly with a reader who has
already been forced to accept the hyper-intelligence of a five year old child.
Overall, a good read for
children and yes, adults too. Because, life lessons are not limited to children
alone.
***
Excerpts:
And that is the Trunchbull’s great secret.
What is? Lavender asked.
‘Never do anything by halves to get away with it. Be
outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely
crazy, it’s unbelievable.’
It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even
when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever
imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.
Some parents go further. They become so blinded by
adoration they manage to convince themselves their child has qualities of a
genius.
The books transported her into new worlds and
introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives.
If only they would read a Dickens
or Kipling, they would soon discover there was more to life than cheating
people and watching television.
She sat there still & white
& thoughtful. She seemed to know that neither crying nor sulking ever got
anyone anywhere.
There was an aura of menace about
her even at a distance..Thank goodness we don’t meet may 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.
‘The human brain is an amazing
thing.’Miss Honey said.
'I think it’s a lot better than a lump of metal.' Matilda
said. 'That’s all a calculator is'
A witty limerick is very hard to
write. They look easy but they most certainly are not.
‘I think C S Lewis is a very good
writer .But he has one failing. There are no funny bits in his books.’
‘But does it not intrigue you
that a five year old girl is reading long adult novels by Dickens and
Hemingway?’ Ms.Honey said.
I’m not in favour of
blue-stocking girls. The mother said. ‘A girl should think about making herself
look attractive as she can get a good husband later on. Looks are more
important than books…You chose books and I chose looks. And who’s finished
better off? Me, of course. I’m sitting pretty in a nice house with a successful
businessman and you’re left slaving away teaching a lot of nasty children the
ABC.
The Trunchbull said, ‘My idea of
a perfect school, Miss Honey, is one that has no children at all. One of these
days, I shall start up a school like that. I think it will be very successful.
‘
The whole face was transfigured,
the eyes round and bright, and she was sitting speechless, quite beautiful in a
blaze of silence.
*****
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