Matilda *Spoilers

Matilda
By: Roald Dahl

Terri Thampan 804

 I read this book, "Matilda", to kind of analyze the book that inspired the movie that I watched so many times as a child. As I read it, I sort of got more of Roald Dahl's style, something I never really recognized when I was reading this story back as a kid (I read the book only because of the movie). Though, I feel the movie was a bit better in developing the characters like Mrs. Wormwood and Ms. Trunchbull, I think the book was better in developing Matilda's powers.
  One thing I realized was different from the book and the movie was the Mother, Mrs.Wormwood. In the book, she's a plump lady while, in the movie she's a skinny woman. Also, I like how the movie makes her character seem more caring towards her daughter Matilda, because to me it shows that the lady has at least some maternal instincts.
   I think that the brother, Michael, was portrayed as the more liked child in both the book and the movie. Only I feel like in the movie it's more pronounced that he is the favorite child.
   Something that really struck me in the book were the quotes. At first, it seems pretty innocent like, "Little girls should be seen and not heard," but then you- or maybe it was just me- read the quote "You chose books and I chose looks", in which Mrs.Wormwood says she has a better life because she's pretty and not book smart and that a woman will get nowhere in life with books, and realize the thinking people of that time had. It was fairly modern-ish, probably the early 1990s the date, but you see how women are limited to being like decoration and pretty things to "be seen and not heard". At first, I though it was Roald Dahl putting in his own views, and then I realized, he's not putting down women, he's sending a message for women to break through those social norms of women being decoration. I realized this just by looking at the characters. Matilda is a bright GIRL, who saves the people of her school by getting rid of the horrible Ms. Trunchbull. She is bright, and smart, witty, humble, kind, and clever, and she is a girl. Ms. Trunchbull, who although is the antagonist or villain of the story, is physically and emotionally very overbearing and strong. She instills fear into many adults and children, even though she might not be mentally stable. She is a strong character, who might be a bit of a feminist as she seems to not like that all the women in the poem "Mrs. D, Mrs. I, Mrs. F-f-i, Mrs. C, Mrs. U, Mrs. L-t-y," are all married. But she is strong and overbearing, cruel and vile, and she is a woman. She doesn't have to be a man to be cruel, and Matilda doesn't have to be a boy to be smart.
   Ms. Honey is also a character who helps promote the strength of women. She is said to be a bit meek and mild woman who fears Ms. Trunchbull, but she was raised by the woman in fear. Ms. Honey is a character who is strong because she ran away, albeit no that far away, but she does live peacefully by herself. She found a way, even though she was given very little money, to get a house and get away from her Aunt at home at least. That is bravery, as she didn't stay a meek little girl, she had enough as a human and got away, and she wasn't a boy either, she wasn't stronger than the Trunchbull, but she had her courage which is why I like her so much. I think movie kind of does her little justice as in the movie she lives in a nice house, and in the book you see, Ms. Honey is poor, she lives a life that is so restricted, with boxes as chairs, a portable heater, no tap (having to use a well), and a cramped in a small house, but she is free. I guess I understand that they didn't want small children to learn about poverty, so they didn't make her as poor, but it felt like they took away the strength of the character Ms. Honey had deep inside her.
   And lastly, I want to talk about Mrs. Wormwood again. She is a character that is also female, but doesn't show strength in the slightest. She lays bingo, and lets her husband bring in the money. At one point, she thinks (in the book) that her husband wasn't truly the "Dream man". I like how the book makes her seem a bit dissatisfied with her marriage, but I also like how the movie makes her seem to actually love her husband. In the book, it fits in with the whole women power message going on, as she lives by looks, and is not truly independent as she depends on her husband. It makes it seem like she only married Mr. Wormwood for his money and the promise of a life full of her material desires, and not truly out of love, and sort of regrets it. But I love how in the movie she seems to love him, because it fits the movie's whole "trying to deepen Mrs. Wormwood as a character" thing. It makes it seem like even though Mr. Wormwood is a horrible man (He is made a bit worse in the movie than in the book) to her daughter and to people in general, she still loves him, and he in his own way loves her, which gives the movie the more family appeal of a loving wife and husband. Though to say which I like more, the movie or the book, I can't decide. The the movie is very good, and quickens the events and sort of adds depth to some characters and certain parts, I like the book because of its secret message. Overall, this is a really great book and movie!