In his adolescence, Dahl went through a few low moments, notably when Mrs. Pratchett, who worked at the candy store, complained to Mr Coombes about Dahl and his friends’ great mouse plot and as a result, Dahl was whipped by Mr Coombes. In the book, Dahl explained in great details of how excruciating the pain was for him and how he wished his mother was there to help him. This event was so significant as it eventually led to his mother’s decision to move to an English school, which was where most of the later events of his childhood unfolded. Another striking low point in his life was when he was accused of cheating by Mr. Hardcastle and was caned by the Headmaster, as he later described it as “a weapon of wounding.”
Despite his trials and tribulations, Dahl had beaten the odds and went through high moments in his life. Although he went through a lot of trouble in his great mouse trap, he described it as his moments of “brilliance and glory” and he felt as if he was a hero. Apart from that, Dahl’s summer holiday in Norway was one of the most memorable moments in his childhood. Dahl described the journey to Norway as an event by itself and recalls with great fondness of his experiences with his huge family such as the grand annual family reunion, the unforgettable taste of the ice cream, and his beloved grandparents.
What is the main issue in the text?
The main issue from this novel is the author sharing his experiences of growing up. One should know that life is not a smooth ride in fact, it is filled with many hardships. The author shares his bad and good experiences in this novel which makes the reader fell that they are not alone facing some difficulties in life. Hardships comes in the whole package of life but they are also joyful moments in it too. The most important thing is to learn from the hardships and be thankful for the joyful moments in life. The author has no regrets whatsoever in all the canning, accidents and so on because it is a part of growing up. Without those incidents, the author will not be who he is today.
What quality do you like or dislike in a character?
The character that I admire in this book is the author’s mother. Drawing from my own experiences as a child, I can appreciate the sacrifices that Dahl’s mother made with my own mother. The main quality I admire in her, as I do with my mother, is her dedication towards her children.
After Dahl’s father passed away, his mother single-handedly raised all 6 kids, including Dahl’s stepsiblings from her husband’s first marriage, as if they were her own. Her dedication in providing the best possible life for her children is apparent through out the book., as evident in Dahl’s summer holidays in Norway. Dahl admitted he didn’t know how his mother could handle everything in the family, from the train bookings, boat bookings and hotel bookings to the packing and taking care of the kids through out the journey. This just shows the amount of sacrifices she chose to make in order to provide him and his siblings with a happy and fulfilling childhood despite whatever hardships they were going through.
Finally, what touched me the most about Dahl’s mother is how she handled things. Instead of giving up hope and complaining, she has always been one to act. For example, when Dahl’s mother found out that Dahl was caned by Mr Coombes, she went to confront Mr Coombes of the situation as she believed that it was an act of injustice. Furthermore, she was very selfless when she rationally decided to send Dahl to an English school because she believed that it would provide him with a better education, which just proves the great qualities she possessed as a mother and a human being.
How does the text help you develop an understanding of the world?
This novel has helped me understand the world better in terms of unity. From what I've learned, people who unite can overcome problems and come up with a solution. This can be clearly seen in the author's family who are very much united in many ways. During the motor-car accident when the author nearly lost his nose,everyone in the family worked together to help start the motor-car which in the end succeeded. Besides that, the author and his family are very united as they go wherever they possibly can especially during the holidays. As a result, they have a strong healthy relationship between them. Not only that, the author and his friends were united in order to achieve the great mouse plot to Mrs.Pratchett's although there were bad consequences to it.
Basically,when people are united, it is easier to achieve certain goals or missions. Similarly, most of the global issues such as global warming, human trafficking and racism can be solved if people unite against each other in good spirits.
