Fantastic Mr Fox

The human farmers are cast as aggressive antagonists who bring stress and suffering to the animals. What was once a lush forest—a home to foxes, badgers, rabbits, weasels, and moles—is transformed into an immense hole “like the crater of a volcano” (28). The animal families are close to starvation after the destruction of the forest: Badger tells Mr. Fox that “it’s chaos! Half the wood has disappeared and there are men with guns all over the countryside! […] We’re all starving to death!” (46). Through Badger’s lament, Dahl critiques the extensive destruction of natural habitats by human greed.

The reader continues to be positioned to support Mr. Fox and his family, as they are clearly cast as the underdogs compared to the farmers and their immense resources. In addition to their guns and machinery, the farmers also have “one hundred and eight men” at their disposal who “formed a tight ring around the bottom of the hill” to watch for any escaping foxes (33). On the other hand, Mr. Fox only has his wits and courage. This inequity, combined with the farmers’ murderous intent, adds suspense as the reader wonders how Mr. Fox will manage to save his family from starvation.

Dahl’s use of hyperbolic humor is again demonstrated in Boggis, Bunce, and Bean’s crater, which they spent an entire day and night digging in an attempt to catch Mr. Fox. Neighbors come to marvel at and mock the enormous crater. This is typical of Dahl’s style, which tends to feature excessive, ridiculous, and unrealistic characters or situations in a humorous manner.

Mr. Fox’s close call in Bean’s cider cellar is foreshadowed with the former’s growing confidence. After his success at Boggis’s chicken house, he assures Badger that he will feed not only his own family, but also the families of Badger, Rabbit, Weasel, and Mole. The chickens from Boggis’s farm were a necessary theft, as Mr. Fox and his family were starving to death; Mrs. Fox was so weak that she could barely move. However, Mr. Fox’s decision to break into Bunce’s farm to hold a feast for all the animals illustrates his growing boldness. Mr. Fox’s ability to feed his family and friends is a source of pride—one that leads him to take greater risks. His risk-taking might also be inspired by a personal vendetta against the farmers, who destroyed his family’s home (as well as much of the forest) and shot off his tail.