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Sasha's Reviews > The Witches
The Witches
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Roald Dahl is the perfect children's author. He takes kids seriously; there are real consequences for adventures here. His books are perfectly constructed.* I can't imagine having a child and not having Dahl's complete works available for him or her.
This book apparently comes under fire for being sexist, and I get that. I don't agree, though; after all, the wisest and kindest character is the kid's grandmother. And while Dahl does go out of his way to point out that all witches are women, he goes on to mention that all ghouls and barghests are men. And also, Matilda exists.
* Well, almost perfectly; I kept wondering what happened to (view spoiler)
This book apparently comes under fire for being sexist, and I get that. I don't agree, though; after all, the wisest and kindest character is the kid's grandmother. And while Dahl does go out of his way to point out that all witches are women, he goes on to mention that all ghouls and barghests are men. And also, Matilda exists.
* Well, almost perfectly; I kept wondering what happened to (view spoiler)
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Wendy
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rated it 5 stars
Oct 31, 2013 06:32AM
This book was total nightmare fuel for me when I was about 8. In a really really good way. Glad you loved it!
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(Also, if you haven't read the BFG yet, that's sort of the third book of Dahl's crowning trifecta, which also includes this and Matilda)
Oh, yeah? In my head the third is The Twits. I wouldn't be surprised to find myself ambling through all of them over the next year or so, anyway.(I've read everything by Dahl, as far as I know; he was a semi-big deal to me as a kid, just under Norton Juster and "any book about a dog" (ask me about Where the Red Fern Grows!). But it's been a while.)
Oh yeah, Twits are good too. I guess in my head, there's those three "big" books in one corner, and then his shorter (but obviously great) books like Twits, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and George's Marvelous Medicine over in the other. I'd love to read through them all again in the near future, as well.Haha, dog books! As a girl, those would have been ranked just below the requisite "any book about a horse" (The Black Stallion ftw!) It HAS been a while.
I read all the horse books too, because I have a sister and I read everything I could get my grubby little paws on. Misty of Chincoteague, yep.
As a rule, a single Good female character doesn't cancel out sexism. In most cases it's there for contrast, so in effect it exacerbates it: look at this example of an Acceptable Woman and now look at what we usually have to deal with. That said, I love this book. Sexist books can be fantastic too.
Fair point, Yoana. So do you think The Witches is a sexist book?
Fair point, Yoana. So do you think The Witches is a sexist book?
I did get that feeling when I reread it as an adult, yeah. Well not sexist as in promoting or defending a sexist view but there's tangible contempt for women in it, I thought.
Well, it's okay that we disagree. What I feel is more of a tangible distrust of grownups in general. I'm (weird coincidence!) reading The BFG right now, and all giants are men; once again (as in Matilda) the protagonist is a girl and grownups generall in Roald Dahl are either not present at all, or not to be trusted. Which seems like an accurate way to depict childhood; a significant part of what grown-ups are for is thwarting plans that seem excellent to children.I've never read his grown-up stuff. I'd like to.
I couldn't see the sexism either, but after learning Dahl was an antisemite I couldn't help but look for clues in the Grand High Witch's character, and it made the book A LOT different to read. 👀
