One of the representatives of world children's literature, which Russian readers learned recently, is Roald Dahl. “Matilda”, “Huge Crocodile”, “Big and Good Giant”, as well as other remarkable books by this author in Soviet times were not translated into Russian. Unfortunately, today's adults did not have the opportunity to get acquainted with the tales of the famous English writer. Their children were much more fortunate.
Today in Russia, in huge editions, works created by writers are published, the existence of which Soviet readers did not even suspect. Among them is Roald Dahl. Matilda, by the way, is a book that is never too late to read. This work is about children's wisdom and adult stupidity, about meanness and justice. And also about how adults look in the eyes of their seemingly thoughtless and naive children.
Roald dahl
“Matilda” was published when its author was reputed to be an accomplished writer. Before explaining the history of writing the book and a brief summary, it is worth saying a few words about its creator.
Dahl was born in 1916. His father was Norwegian, and one fine day he had the bright thought of moving to the UK in order to give his children a classic English education. But nothing came of this venture. Father died when the future writer was only three years old.
The early period in Dahl's biography is quite sad. At school, he survived the bullying of high school students, numerous corporal punishment of teachers. However, not hardened. Roald Dahl subsequently became the author of extremely humane and wise works of art. “Matilda” and other stories for young readers are proof of this.
Creative way
Roald graduated from college, then university. Then there were years of work at Shell, war, the hard work of a screenwriter, and finally writing. In narrow circles, his name gained fame. But the real glory came to Dahl in the sixties, when the first collection of fairy tales was published.
There was a lot of grief in the life of this writer. He survived the death of his daughter. He was tormented by watching his son suffer from an incurable illness. In addition, according to some sources, he did not cause much sympathy among others.
Good Giant
Every English child is familiar with the image of Dahl surrounded by children. Or the image of a writer hiding in a Victorian chair over a manuscript ... A man whom adults did not like but adored by children was Roald Dahl during his lifetime.
The Matilda, which English critics had positive reviews of, could hardly have been published in the Soviet Union. The main condition in domestic literature was the presence of decent images not only of parents, but also of children. Such characters never aroused Dahl's interest. The main plot of his books was the rebellion of a small man against an adult and hard world.
The latest work for children was the book "Matilda". Roald Dahl passed away in 1990. Every year, children visit his grave. They decorate the monument with sweets. And near the gravestone you can see huge traces of the Good Giant - a hero who, perhaps, is that same two-meter friend of children, the English writer of Norwegian origin Roald Dahl.
"Matilda": the plot
It happens that in a family of vile and dishonest people, a child is born who is distinguished not only by intelligence and quick wits, but also by innate noble qualities. Matilda possessed all this. Her parents were limited people. There were no books in their house. Mother spent all her free time playing lotto. My father was a seller of used cars and sincerely believed that rich people are not honest. And therefore daily fraudulent actions in relation to its customers. But the main drawback of these people was that they did not love their daughter.
About how one little girl was so annoyed by stupid parents that she decided to take revenge on them, the book is written (Roald Dahl) "Matilda". A brief summary, which will be presented below, may prompt readers to become acquainted with the full text of an instructive story.
Summary
Wanting to teach her father a lesson, the girl arranged all kinds of tests for him. Once Matilda smeared his favorite hat with glue. Father was forced to spend the whole day in a headdress, which was not only inconvenient, but also gave the man a very silly look. Yet his addiction to mistreatment of his daughter and unreasonable boasting disappeared for a while. But soon the ugly parent set to work again, and Matilda had to invent a new punishment.
The girl dreamed of kind and loving parents. But all she could do was put up with the fact that her father and mother were far from ideal. In addition to reading, revenge became the only outlet for Matilda.
The image of the heroine
Is it possible to understand how the English writer saw the fragile emotional world of a child by reading only a brief summary? “Matilda” (Roald Dahl) is a work imbued with a kind of humor. When reading at first it seems that the heroine is by no means an obedient girl. Rather, cunning and treacherous. She taunts her parents, invents all kinds of punishments for them. But Matilda commits her unseemly acts solely because other methods in the fight against the near-minded people, of which her parents are, do not help. The reader, who suffered in childhood from rude and unfair treatment, may experience delight and even envy towards the small and savvy heroine.
School
Many of Roald Dahl’s children's books are autobiographical. At school, he learned the cruelty of teachers and high school students. Matilda is experiencing something similar. But the heroine of the Dahl novel has extraordinary abilities. She gives the impression of an ordinary little girl. But only as long as it is silent. After all, her knowledge in mathematics and literature corresponds to the level of not every adult.
The only person who treated little Matilda with affection is her teacher.
Miss hani
In addition to deep knowledge in mathematics and literature, Matilda showed phenomenal abilities. The girl was able to move objects. However, her exceptional abilities were not interested in either her mother or father. Only Miss Hani was able to see a gifted personality in the usual-looking five-year-old girl. The teacher once visited the parents of Matilda in order to open their eyes to how exceptional their daughter is. However, these people were not imbued with the speech of Miss Hani.
Teacher Matilda lived in a small house resembling the dwelling of characters from the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Once Miss Hani invited her beloved student to visit. Matilda was amazed at how terrible conditions her teacher lived in. And on this day, Miss Hani told the girl the sad story of her life.
The girl’s parents died when she was still a schoolgirl. The only relative was the aunt, a selfish and cruel woman who immediately settled in their house after the death of her father and established cruel rules there. Miss Haney’s story resembled a Cinderella story. The only difference is that the prince did not wait. However, she was able to get rid of the society of her evil relative by renting a small farmer's house.
The book "Matilda" has, if not a happy ending, then a promising one. The girl’s parents leave the city, and she remains to live with her teacher.
As in other works of Roald Dahl, there is hope in this novel. The hope that no matter how cruel the adult world may turn out, justice will prevail. And a child who is not familiar with parental affection and care will find a family.