This article was written by Jennifer Ciotta
A world renowned best-selling children's author of books such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG and Matilda, Roald Dahl dominated the children's literary field in his day. Think of Dahl as a modern-day J.K Rowling, yet he was heavily influenced by his Norwegian upbringing. His mother frequently told Dahl and his siblings stories of Nordic folklore, especially of tiny trolls and mythical creatures which could be found in a lush, Norwegian forest.
Born in Wales and schooled in England, Dahl suffered two significant tragedies as a child which consequently shaped his life and his writing. Firstly, his older sister, Astri, died from appendicitis when Dahl was merely three years-old. Completely distraught by his daughter's death, Dahl's father died of a broken heart and pneumonia yet a month later. It was at this point that young Roald became alone in his childhood, citing that he felt as though he did not possess any brothers and sisters (even though he had six), which is quite distinctive throughout his writing, since child protagonists do not have a brother or sister who is an important character in the story. For instance, in Matilda, the brother, Michael, simply sits in the room while dialogue takes places between Matilda and her parents--in fact, Matilda does not speak to Michael at all or vice-versa.
Therefore, it was Dahl's gift of imagination which allowed him to find solace and friendship. During his days at English boarding school, he dreamed of inventing a new chocolate bar for Mr. Cadbury, who sent bars to the school. This is perhaps the earliest inspiration for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yet his imagination also led to his devilish side; for instance, as a young boy, Dahl was caned by a headmaster for putting a dead mouse into a mean shop owner's jar of candy--a very similar feat to Matilda's friend Lavender plopping a newt into the awful headmistress' jug of water. Thus, Dahl acquired an acute sense of right and wrong. By using his talented imagination, throughout his children's books, the child wins, usually in a battle with an authority figure, by using her/his intelligence, sense of humor and precociousness. Dahl's cynical wit and dark humor allows his books to be comical and light, even though the subject matter may be quite harsh. His child protagonists find the "light in the darkness" through scheming and assertive action. However, not everyone approved of Dahl's talent for black comedy, since his books were banned in some schools in the United States for teaching children lessons on how to be "naughty." Parents defended their stance by saying that every time their child read a Dahl book; s/he would instantly resort to "bad behavior."
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