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I'm going to talk about dysfunctional family structures in the novel Matilda by Roald Dahl.

The book presents a largely negative representation of family life, from the cruel and self-absorbed
Wormwood family, who treat their daughter Matilda with abhorrence, to the violence and
dominance Miss Honey was subjected to by her aunt Miss Trunchbull.
There is inherent dysfunction within the Wormwood family. The parents are hugely selfinterested and solipsistic, too 'wrapped up in their own silly little lives' (10) to attend to the needs of
their children. Mrs Wormwood places her daily ritual of bingo above the safety and well being of
her daughter, leaving Matilda alone in the house to fend for herself at the tender age of three. Mr
Wormwood is equally indifferent to his parental responsibilities, taking pride in regaling his family
with tales of his crooked dealings at his used car dealership. Not only is Mr Wormwood completely
dishonest, he is also a coward. Upon hearing what he thinks to be a burglar, but is actually a parrot
Matilda hid in the chimney to scare her parents, he does not boldly investigate the supposed intruder
but tries to make his family confront the situation instead, potentially placing his children at risk.
We learn of the Wormwoods' dislike of their daughter from the opening lines of the novel.
Matilda's parents 'looked upon her as nothing more than a scab' (10). They do not even see their
daughter as a human being, but an infection. This horrific sentiment is expressed repeatedly in the
constant verbal abuse Matilda is subject to. She is continually demeaned and undermined by her
parents, who tell her that she is 'stupid' (22) and 'an ignorant little twit' (22). There is a marked
dichotomy between the treatment of Matilda and her parents' approach to her brother Mike. Mike is
never shouted at or called names. Mr Wormwood lovingly calls him 'my boy' (50), while addressing
Matilda his wife's daughter, lacking the capacity to accept her as his own.
Matilda's immense intelligence is belittled by the Wormwoods, who upon discovering that
their daughter can speak perfectly at the age of a year and a half, tell her that she is a 'noisy
chatterbox' (11), and that she should 'be seen and not heard' (11). It is not only her verbal abilities
that are attacked, but her mathematical ones too. Her pre-eminent capacity to add in her head has
her branded 'a cheat and a liar' (55) by her father. The Wormwoods do not really care either way

about their daughter's education, expect in how it might benefit them. They see sending her to
school as a way of getting rid of her, telling Miss Honey that Matilda is '[her] responsibility from
now on' (93). The Wormwoods' reaction can be seen as the antithesis to the expected delight of
parents who learn of their child's intelligence, emphasising their dysfunctional mindset.
Both parents and child are dissatisfied with their home life. Matilda longed for her parents to
be 'good and loving and understanding and honourable and intelligent' (49), everything that they are
not. The Wormwoods want their daughter to be more like them, to be happy to 'just mooch around
and watch the telly' (16). Their innate differences are blatant, and find expression in a particular
incident during which Mr Wormwood violently rips one of Matilda's beloved books. In destroying
his daughter's source of happiness, he is destroying her otherness, the essence of what separates her
from the rest of her family and makes her unique. Perhaps Mr Wormwood thought that in ruining a
symbol of Matilda's passion and intelligence, she would be forced to conform to his idea of how she
should behave. Fortunately for Matilda, despite of, or maybe because of this, she maintains her
strength and independence.
In the novel, Miss Honey is portrayed as almost Matilda's older double. She too suffered
grave misfortune and abuse in her family life. Her mother died when she was two, and her father
was largely absent, eventually dying, possibly of suicide, when Miss Honey was five. She is
subsequently left in the care of her aunt, Miss Trunchbull. In seeing how Miss Trunchbull treats her
students (a notable incident being hurling Amanda Thripp over a fence by her pigtails), we can only
imagine how she treated her niece. According to Miss Honey, her 'life was a nightmare' (198). She
was Trunchbull's 'slave' (199), and it is implied that she was beaten constantly and had her head
shoved under water repeatedly. Trunchbull's abuse continued into adulthood, taking all but one
pound of Miss Honey's salary to compensate her for the debts incurred in raising her niece.
Despite unspeakably difficult circumstances, Miss Honey strives to forge some life of her
own. She persuades a farmer to let her live in his cottage for ten pence a month, and is unable to
afford even basic furniture or utilities. Although she is poor, she is free. Miss Honey describes

escaping the clutches of her aunt as her 'greatest triumph' (201), and Matilda finds inspiration in her
teachers strength labelling her her 'heroine' (203).
Both Matilda and Miss Honey are immediately drawn to each other, perhaps each
recognising kindred spirits. They become friends and confidantes; it is Miss Honey whom Matilda
chooses to tell about her telekinetic powers, and Miss Honey reciprocates in confiding her
childhood trauma to Matilda. The bonds of their friendship result in Miss Honey taking Matilda in
when her parents leave for Spain. Although Miss Honey believes this arrangement will be 'heaven'
(236), doubts are raised about the stability of this new family. Miss Honey is only twenty three
years old, more or less the same age as many of us. While many twenty three year olds make good
parents, at this stage in their lives, most people in their early twenties find is difficult to take care of
themselves, let alone another human being. In conjunction to her immaturity, Miss Honey is also a
bit selfish and misguided, choosing to divulge details of horrific abuse to a five year old child.
Matilda, although intelligent, is not old enough to correctly process and understand what she is
being told. So, while Miss Honey is arguably the most maternal figure in Matilda, the scars of
childhood have maybe not yet healed, making her decision to become a mother premature and quite
irresponsible.
In conclusion, the

families portrayed in Matilda are all dysfunctional and damaging.

Matilda grew up in a abusive environment with parents who not only bullied her, but made it clear
that she was unloved. The family dynamic of Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull is similarly violent,
where physical abuse and cruelty was an everyday occurrence. While we hope that the new family
of Matilda and Miss Honey will supply the happiness they both crave and deserve, doubts
concerning its success linger.

Works Cited

Dahl, Roald. Matilda. Puffin Books: London, 1989. Print.

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