'Matilda' by Roald Dahl tells the tale of a clever young girl tackling bullies in her life with wit, courage, and miracles.
Protagonist: Matilda Wormwood
Publication Date: 1988
Genre: Children, Coming of Age, Humor
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Article written by Neesha Thunga K
B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.
‘Matilda’ is the last long children’s book written by Roald Dahl in his lifetime. The book revolves around a precocious young girl named Matilda and the battles she faces against the bullies in her life.
The book was published to near-universal acclaim in 1988 and won the Children’s Book Award soon after. The magical story has captured audiences across the world and has remained a source of delight to readers till today.
Roald Dahl would tell his children bedtime stories every night. Though he admits that most of them were pretty bad, several of them ended up as acclaimed children’s books. Published in 1988, ‘Matilda‘ is Roald Dahl’s long children’s book.
It took almost 2 years for Dahl to complete the novel. Though the writing is simple and to the point, ‘Matilda was a work of labor.’ Dahl famously rewrote the entire novel because he was unhappy with the first version.
Lucy Dahl, Roald Dahl’s daughter, received a letter from her father in December 1986 about ‘Matilda.’ In it, Dahl writes,
The reason I haven’t written you for a long time is that I have been giving every moment to getting a new children’s book finished. And now at last I have finished it, and I know jolly well that I am going to have to spend the next three months rewriting the second half. The first half is great, about a small girl who can move things with her eyes and about a terrible headmistress who lifts small children up by their hair and hangs them out of upstairs windows by one ear. But I’ve got now to think of a really decent second half. The present one will all be scrapped. Three months work gone out the window, but that’s the way it is.
In the first version, Matilda was the villain of the story. She was a wicked girl who used her powers for her sadistic pleasure and helped her teacher financially by fixing a horse race. She also died at the end of the novel at the hands of Miss Trunchbull. This version of events was ultimately overturned in the rewriting, and Matilda was made the hero of the story.
After rewriting the story of ‘Matilda,’ Dahl admitted that he was finally happy with the book. In an interview with Todd McCormack, he commented, “Now I’m fairly happy with it. I think it’s ok, but it certainly wasn’t before.”
The plot of the novel begins with Matilda Wormwood, a young girl of remarkable maturity, who finds herself neglected by her parents, Mr. and Mrs Wormwood. The little girl learns how to read grown-up books on her own and begins to play tricks on her parents, involving a parrot and her father’s hair dye. Within her school environment, Matilda encounters an exceptional teacher named Miss Honey, who not only identifies her potential but also endeavors to have her placed in an advanced class. Yet, Miss Honey’s efforts are hindered by the imposing figure of her aunt, Miss Trunchbull.
In due course, Matilda becomes aware of her extraordinary ability—telekinesis, the power to move objects with her mind. Simultaneously, she uncovers a profound secret held by Miss Honey, involving Miss Honey’s father (Magnus) and her aunt. Fueled by this newfound knowledge and her unique powers, Matilda embarks on a mission to take action. Much like Dahl’s other children’s stories, Matilda finds a happy ending in Miss Honey’s cottage, and the story teaches children the vital lesson of standing up to bullies.
The idea for ‘Matilda‘ was rooted in a deep fear that Roald Dahl nursed in the late 1980s. The fear was about books going out of existence. This was around the same time that televisions were becoming extremely popular, and nearly every house in the United Kingdom had a television set. Thus, Dahl wrote a book about a genius child who loved reading.
‘Matilda‘ was written from a small and cozy hut in Roald Dahl’s garden. He called his hut his “nest” and wrote while sitting on his mother’s armchair, with a specially made desktop spread across his lap. Yellow legal notepaper was his go-to writing tool.
Roald Dahl has a repertoire of children’s literature under his belt, all of which are similar to ‘Matilda‘ in various ways. Some of these include ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine,’ ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator,’ ‘Revolting Rhymes,’ ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘The Witches,’ ‘James and the Giant Peach,’ ‘Danny, Champion of the World,’ and ‘The BFG’.
Some of these novels have connections to ‘Matilda.’ For instance, the enormous cake that Ms. Trunchbull forces Bruce Bogtrotter (an overweight child in the novel) to eat as punishment for stealing a piece of cake from the kitchen is featured in Roald Dahl’s ‘Revolting Recipes.’ It is also believed that Bruce Bogtrotter is a more sympathetic version of Augustus Gloop, the glutton from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’
There are also parallels between the short story ‘The Magic Finger‘ by Roald Dahl (published in 1964) and ‘Matilda.’ The protagonist of the short story is a young girl who has magic powers in her finger. The powers get activated when she gets too emotional or feels strongly about a cause. The premise of the short story has led people to believe that it might be a precursor to ‘Matilda.’
Readers who wish to explore books by other authors similar to ‘Matilda‘ can read ‘Demon Dentist’ by David Walliams, ‘The Worst Witch’ by Jill Murphy, ‘Gangsta Granny’ by David Walliams, ‘Pippi Longstocking’ by Astrid Lindgren and Tony Ross, ‘Rose’ by Holly Web, ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by EB White, ‘Green Eggs and Ham‘ by Dr. Seuss and ‘Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfeild.
‘Matilda’ has been frequently hailed as one of the best children’s books of all time. It is especially renowned for how Matilda stands up to her bullies and fights for the right things and people in her life. As such, the novel has resonated with both children and adults around the world.
In 1996, a film adaptation of the novel was released. Directed by Danny DeVito and starring Mara Wilson, the film received critical acclaim. However, it turned out to be a box office bomb.
A musical version of ‘Matilda‘ was produced in the Redgrave Theatre in Farnham in 1990. Adapted by Rony Robinson and with music produced by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, the musical version toured the UK. A second musical version opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 2013. The stage version of the novel is massively successful with audiences and has won multiple awards in the United Kingdom and the United States.
In 2012, a set of six stamps were issued by Royal Mail featuring the original illustrations by Quentin Blake in ‘Matilda.’ The protagonist of the story was featured on the 76p stamp.
An audiobook of the novel has been released, with actress Kate Winslet providing the narration. In 2018, Netflix announced that it would adapt ‘Matilda‘ as an animated series along with other books by Roald Dahl.
In October 2018, the original illustrator of ‘Matilda‘, Quentin Blake, celebrated 30 years of the publication of the book by imagining what Matilda would be as a grown-up. He drew illustrations of her in various professions, including astrophysics and exploration.
