The Magic Finger

In what ways do the story’s female and male characters represent stereotypical portraits of femininity and masculinity? Provide specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Is the narrator flawed? When you learn that she turned Mrs. Winter into a cat, did that change your feelings about her? Why or why not?

What is the moral of The Magic Finger? How does Dahl present this lesson to his readers?

Examine the role of motherhood and fatherhood in the novel. In what way does it support or subvert Dahl’s depiction of traditional gender roles?

Examine the way that Dahl uses color in the text. How does Dahl’s use of imagery imbue the black and white illustrations with color? How does this change the reading experience?

Chart the way that Mother Nature is represented over the course of the novel. What type of language and diction does Dahl use to describe the natural environment and its creatures? In what way does this underscore the lesson he is trying to impart?

Examine a couple instances of wordplay in the novel. How does Dahl’s use of diction heighten the overall themes and moral of the story?

If Dahl were to write an environmentally focused story in the present day, what are some topics that he might choose to touch on? What might the morals of those stories be?