73 pages • 2 hours read
Quentin Blake, Roald DahlA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
The theme of family anchors the story, and is introduced in the first paragraph of Chapter 2 when the narrator tells the reader: “The fact that I am still here and able to speak to you (however peculiar I may look) is due entirely to my wonderful grandmother” (14). The boy is alive because of his grandma—a family member. In Dahl’s novel, a family doesn’t need a mom, dad, or siblings. Dahl presents the family of The Witches as a two-person/creature unit. The boy’s family consists of him and his grandma, and they like it that way: “[Grandmamma] allowed no one else into the house, not even a servant or a cook. We kept entirely to ourselves and we were very happy in each other’s company” (203).
The grandma’s role in the boy’s life is crucial. She teaches him about witches and accepts him when becomes a mouse. The boy’s role in his grandma’s life is also crucial. He helps her put into practice her witchophile intelligence. Together, they work to take down the evil witches. In the future, they plan to remain bonded as they travel the globe and smoke out witches.
The novel’s exploration of family ties into the theme of teamwork.
By these authors
Beware of the Dog
Roald Dahl
Billy and the Minpins
Roald Dahl
Boy: Tales of Childhood (Roald Dahl's Autobiography, #1)
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)
Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2)
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
Danny the Champion of the World
Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl
Esio Trot
Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
George's Marvelous Medicine
Roald Dahl
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Eric Klinenberg, Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
Lamb to the Slaughter
Roald Dahl
Matilda
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
Skin and Other Stories
Roald Dahl
The BFG
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake
The Landlady
Roald Dahl
The Magic Finger
Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake
The Twits
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
The Way Up To Heaven
Roald Dahl