|
|
Introduction Like all of Roald Dahls books, The Witches is a highly entertaining and humorously sarcastic look at many of the fears and realities that children face. As the title indicates, this particular Dahl story is about witches. From this simple understanding we know that the tale is about women, for only women are witches, males are warlocks. With that perspective in mind the following paper examines how one could look at Dahls story from a feminist perspective. The Witches It should be noted, first and foremost, that while can argue many different perspectives in an examination of this story, the perspective being offered is one that indicates Dahls book is a very negative look at feminism and at women in general, providing a somewhat derogatory understanding of who women are. In understanding how Dahls work seems negatively directed at women we first look at the fact that women have, perhaps throughout history, been negatively classed as a witch if they voice their opinions or make a stand of some kind. Good women were called ladies and were never considered witches. And, in all honesty, there is only one good woman in Dahls book. That woman is not just any woman but a grandmother. In this respect we can argue that the grandmother symbolizes the ideal female who is neither pretty nor truly opinionated. She is nurturing for she takes care of her grandson and loves him. That is her life and she is not sexual, pretty, or threatening in any way. She is the ideal female, in the opinion of the stereotypical and ignorant male. We are then left with all the other women in the book, all of whom are angry vicious witches. In the following we gain an introduction into who these women are, and they are far from nurturing and positive: In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale.
|
