73 pages • 2 hours read
Roald DahlThe Witches
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1983A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
How is gender explored in the novel? Which characters uphold typical gender norms, and which subvert them? Cite examples from the text.
There have been two movie adaptations of The Witches. Watch the one from 1990, the 2020 version, or both, and compare them to Dahl’s novel. What are the similarities and differences? How do the movies interpret and transform the characters and action? How does the 2020 film introduce the idea of race?
Dahl has written an array of novels for young readers. Read another Dahl novel and compare it to The Witches. If you read Matilda, you could discuss the role of family, gender, and adults in each work. If you read James and the Giant Peach, you could talk about gender, family, and tolerance for other creatures. If you choose George’s Marvellous Medicine, you can compare the different depictions of grandmas.
Unpack the close relationship between the boy and his Grandmamma. Think of all the ways the story presents their tight bond. How is their closeness exemplified through dialogue, the way they speak, and the things they do for one another?
Focus on the unresolved questions surrounding the Grandmamma. Provide possible answers to how she lost her thumb and why she’s so keen to take down witches. Is she an ex-witch or is she just a very concerned citizen? Write a monologue in the Grandmamma’s voice describing her past (up to 500 words).
Think about the witches in the ballroom. Although a couple of witches speak up, they’re mostly presented as a mass of passive followers. Try to give the witches agency. Supply them with a background story and come up with strategies for them to subvert the tyrannical Grand High Witch. Describe these from their collective point of view, using “we” (up to 500 words).
What does the boy’s attitude about his metamorphosis suggest about dealing with change or the onset of disability? Which of his traits help him adapt to a new identity?
Watch the film Teen Witch or the TV show Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and compare the presentation of witches to The Witches. How do these other works make witches seem less evil and more humane or relatable?
How does the novel advocate for tolerance and acceptance, and through what characters? Cite examples from the text.
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By Roald Dahl
