What is the importance of gender as a theme in The Witches? How are female characters portrayed by Dahl in the story? Furthermore, it is likely that much of the folklore in the book, both the stories of witches and the allusions to religion, stem from things Dahl was taught in his childhood. Dahl has even told the public that the grandmother character is based on his own mother, and this sheds light on why she is such a vivid character and stands apart from all of the other women in the book, who are described as either evil or foolish. This fact immediately creates a parallel between Roald Dahl and the boy in The Witches, who is born and raised in England but whose grandmother, his main caretaker in the book, is from and is fiercely allegiant to Norway. Roald Dahl was born and raised in Wales, but his parents were from Norway. How may Roald Dahl's life have influenced the writing of The Witches? As his books are written for children, it is understandable why Dahl creates villains not only for characters in the text but also for readers. The witches are portrayed as creatures that make it their sole purpose to destroy children, a trait that is shared by nearly all of Dahl's villains. What is one major characteristic of Dahl's villains? While the heroes are successful in defeating one evil, the existence of further conflict reminds us of the dangers that continues to threaten society. By making the ending bittersweet, Dahl suggests that evil is a powerful force. The grandmother reminds the readers that many witches still exist in the world, and comments on the reduced life expectancy of the boy due to his physical transformation into a mouse. While the story ends with the destruction of all the English witches, and the boy and his grandmother living together happily, there is also a melancholy element. That said, the comic stands on its own and may bring fresh readers to the original.What is the effect of the bittersweet tone of the story's finale? This comic adaptation, as in all other adaptations, loses this subtly. This story is, perhaps, his darkest, yet remains tongue-in-cheek and has a deliciousness to the creepiness. What I love about Roald Dahl stories is that he manages to inject humor into his tales, even though they go dark. Other characters are rewarded with a welcomed diverse update. I enjoyed the modernization of the Grandmother character, though I missed the Norwegian grandmother in the original. I do enjoy the 1990 film, even though the ending was changed, and the Grand High Witch in this new title certainly has a Anjelica Huston quality about her.
The controversial creepy ending, which I love so much, was maintained to my relief, which is more than I can say for most movie and stage adaptations. The full-color panels scan well and the plot keeps mostly to the original. French Bagieu breathes life into the characters and offers a fresh creative sensibility, a bit more sophisticated than American children generally see.
I love that attention has been called to this title, which may lead comic-kids to the original. Finally, I had to go for it with mostly positive results. I love the original Witches so much and wasn't sure I was ready for the reboot. Maybe she can help him come up with a plan to save the nation's children before it's too late. Yikes! What can he do to get out of there? He must go and find Grandma. He overhears the dastardly plans to eliminate all of England's children and witnesses with his own eye a girl get turned into a mouse. This trip turns out to be anything but, when the boy stumbles into a whole convention of witches. The boy and Grandma travel to the seaside for rest and relaxation. If you see one, watch out! They hate children and will do anything to eliminate an unsuspecting youth. The boy learns to beware of women with wigs to cover their bald heads, gloves to cover their clawed hands, and pointy shoes to hide their missing toes. To pass the time Grandma tells the boy all about real-life witches and what to look out for, having some encounters of her own in her distant past.
An eight year old boy is recently orphaned and living with his loving, yet eccentric, grandmother. Graphic novelist, Bagieu, reboots Dahl's classic for a modern audience.