KidLit Forum

I was horrified to see how Miss Trunchbull treated children. Of course, a book for children is meant to be funny but here we see really evil things: how she treated Miss Honey in the past and how she treats children at school. They are all afraid of her and nobody can do anything to put an end to the situation. Still, the courage of Matilda and her terrific imagination succeeds in stopping Miss Trunchbull from terrifying other children.
Matilda is a lovely character: strong, brave, ingenuous and funny. I loved reading this book as I even started laughing when seeing what things crossed her mind when she wanted to punish her dad. Indeed, her place was not in that family, she needed somebody to be at her level, to understand her, to support her and Miss Honey was a perfect mother for her.

Similarities to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
-the same tone when referring to children;
-signs of poverty: lack of beds in a home, margarine ( When Matilda sees margarine in Miss Honey's kitchen she says "she really must be poor"

Whenever Matilda appears to be too mature, the author does something to show us that she is just a child.
Maturity signs:
- she does not only read books but she also has opinions about them;
- she is able to control her feelings when other people treat her badly and she decides to take revenge, this happens with her father and Miss Trunchbull;
- takes matters into her own hands when she decides to help Miss Honey take back what's hers;
Matilda acts like a child when visiting Miss Honey's cottage, she thinks that her house is a doll house, she is very curious and she is not afraid of catching a newt. The author gives us a kind of explanation for the fact that Matilda is loved by everybody saying that she seems quite an ordinary child. (chapter 10)

Women's image in society at that time:
- The first example is the way Matilda's mother is depicted in the story all looks and no brains;
- "Small girls should be seen and not heard"
- When she calculates faster than her brother her father does not belive it and does not take into consideration the possibility of her being smarter than a boy;
Miss Honey seems to be the representative of the type of woman accepted in society: silent like a mouse, afraid to confront people; the only time she decides to be different is when she visits Matilda's parents. She teaches her children to obbey Miss Trunchbull and not to provoke her in any way. She uses new and modern ways of teaching but only when Miss Trunchbull is not around and she encourages children to lie to her to avoid confrontation.