expectations whilst it also cements their identification with the events described on the screen. In the case of Matilda, none of the alterations mentioned above entails significant differences in terms of plot or characterization, but their introduction can be interpreted as a way to foreground the connection between the film and the Hollywood industry and favor a more global identification with the setting and cultural references.
4.2 Matilda: A character in letters, a character in motion and pictures
4.2.1 Literature and education
Some of the main features that shaped the original Matilda are inextricably related to the core topics addressed by Dahl. Consequently, in this section we intend to explore the book’s and the film’s characterization of the little girl (and that of other characters that determine Matilda’s traits) through some of the central themes tackled throughout the pages of Dahl’s novel.
If there is a prevailing feature defining Matilda’s character that is undoubtedly her passion for literature. It is not a coincidence, for example, that the book opens with a chapter titled “The Reader of Books”. Similarly, this connection is emphasized throughout the book via the light under which Matilda is described1, the myriad situations in which literature frames her actions (Matilda visiting the library, reading at home, etc.) or even the numerous illustrations crafted by Quentin Blake2 that portray the little girl reading or with a book in her hands. In the film, literature does also play an important role in Matilda’s life. Matilda is presented to the spectator as a very intelligent girl neglected by her family, whose parents would not take to school and with no friends, but despite this, books are her main help and consolation. The narrator underscores this fact when he says “these books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone” (DeVito et al., De Vito, 1996: 07:10). While the narrator is telling this, we can see the image of parents having fun with children at a park while Matilda sat alone under a tree with a pile of books.
This unswerving bond between the protagonist and literature is not only a way to underline the importance of the latter, but also a gateway to one of the pivotal issues addressed in the book: education. Throughout the story, Dahl approaches several aspects linked to this field as, for example, the (in)appropriateness of different methodologies, the impact the agents involved (family, instructors) in the teaching-learning process may have on children’s education, or the relevance of galvanizing reading promotion plans (Quiles Cerrillo, 2016: 150–158). The position the author holds with regards to these issues is easily inferable from, for instance, the portrait of some characters that represent the two poles of a continuum that connects negative and positive educational habits. On the former side we can include characters such as Mrs. and Mr. Wormwood or Miss Trunchbull, characterized in the book as simpletons, brutes, and even physically disgusting. The film maintains this tone when it comes to describe them. Whenever we see the Wormwoods on screen, they are either in front of the TV, yelling, or performing bad actions such as Mr. Wormwood’s cheating with car selling, or Mrs. Wormwood going to play bingo and leaving her little daughter home alone. The case of Miss Trunchbull is similar: the film presents a giant lady whose only purpose in life seems to be to scare, threaten and physically punish the children in the school she manages.
If we are to look more in depth to Matilda’s parents, it must be said they are the opposite to her daughter. While Matilda loves books, there are no books at the Wormwood’s house, just a few magazines (and a cookery book mentioned in Dahl’s pages, not in the film). They prefer watching television instead and cannot work out why Matilda would rather read a book. In addition, while Matilda craves knowledge, her parents seem to give little importance to the girl’s intellectual development. The scene described in section 4.1 in which Matilda’s father destroys the book may be a good case in point: as he cannot understand the pleasure and enlightenment that stem from reading, he tears the book apart, thus severing one of the ties of her daughter to the joy and instruction she does not get at home.
Besides and because of their inattention, Matilda starts school late. In the book, we are told that she starts half a year later than the rest of the children because her parents forget to make the arrangements. In the movie, they do not take her to school until she asks them to, which in both cases pinpoints how little they were worried about their daughter’s education. This is emphasized in the film in the scene when Matilda gets home after her first day of school: she finds her mother lying on the sofa and talking on the phone; when Matilda enters the house, her mother asks her how school was, but she does not stop chatting on the phone and ignores and even reprimands Matilda when she starts telling her about her new school.
There are several passages in the book which are mirrored in the film and reflect the negative educational habits embodied by the aforementioned characters. A case in point occurs when Miss Honey visits Matilda’s parents to talk about how brilliant the little girl is. Mr. Wormwood would not let her go into the house when Miss Honey tells him she is Matilda’s teacher. In the book, he tells her that Matilda “is your responsibility from now on. You’ll have to deal with her” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 86) and in the film Miss Honey gets a similar response: “whatever it is, it’s your problem now” (DeVito et al., De Vito, 1996: 34:25). When finally Miss Honey gets to talk to the parents, they confirm that there are no books at home “We don’t hold with book reading (…) we don’t keep them in the house” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 90), and the mother tells Miss Honey that “a girl should think about making herself look attractive so she can get a good husband later on. Looks is more important than books, Miss Hunky” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 91) or “a girl does not get a man by being brainy” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 92), which again shows the Wormwoods’ mentality towards education.
If in Dahl’s story the Wormwoods are presented as careless parents who only pay attention to Matilda in order to reprimand her and consider her as a burden rather than a blessing, the case of Miss Trunchbull and the values she fosters and tries to instill also resonate with bad educational habits. Miss Trunchbull is the headmistress of the school, but she literally hates children and uses fear and threats as the basic means to educate them. In a similar way, the film depicts her as a “gigantic holy terror” and as a “fierce tyrannical monster”. What is more, when Dahl’s pages describe her, we learn Miss Trunchbull does not have any of the required qualities to be a headmistress. As the narrator tells us: “most headmasters (…) understand children and they have children’s best interests at heart. They are sympathetic. They are fair and they are deeply interested in education. Miss Trunchbull possessed none of these qualities and how she ever got her present job was a mystery” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 76).
As we can see, she is not entitled by studies or abilities to deal with children, and their instruction is of no interest to her. On the contrary, she is cruel, thinks all children are bad and describes girls as “nasty little things” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 80). Both in the book and in the film, she does not pay any attention to Miss Honey when she tries to convince her that Matilda is a genius and should be moved to a more advanced class, and attributes this suggestion to Miss Honey not being able to control the girl. In addition, her rule is that “all children remain in their own age groups regardless of ability (…) Whoever heard of such a thing!” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 82–83). With this, it is shown how Trunchbull could not care less about Matilda’s education, for she does not see how a 5-year-old girl who knows how to read can be called a genius. By maintaining this adamant position and neglecting Matilda’s abilities she is also denying the girl the possibility of taping her full potential and dooming her to attend a group in which lessons could easily become boring and unchallenging for her.
Hence, it could be concluded that these adults’ behavior regarding literature and education could be damaging for Matilda’s future, a frame of mind conveyed both in the book and in the film. The motion picture also conveys Miss Trunchbull’s dangerous attitude towards Matilda’s schooling and her parents’ questionable teachings that include praising the benefits of watching TV as opposed to those that stem from reading books, or not letting her go to school when the time came because it was more important that she
