4. The Wish by Roald Dahl

The Wish 

                   Roald Dahl

About the writer and the story 

Roald Dahl, a renowned British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter and wartime fighter pilot of Norwegian origin. More than 250 million copies of his books have been sold out worldwide. Dahl has been regarded as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".

"The Wish" is a short, sharp, chilling (causing mild fear) story by Roald Dahl, the master of shocking tales. This story has been taken from Roald Dahl's short stories collection called "Someone Like You". This short stories collection was published in the year 1953 by Alfred Knopf.

The story "The Wish", the writer Roald Dahl has presented a sinister (ominous/ unlucky) story about the darker side of human nature.

This story is about a young boy's fantasy in which his carpet is alive with snakes and fire. Dahl has aimed to reflect the delicacy of our childhood innocence by using imagery and metaphor in the story. He has used the character of a curiously imaginative young boy to present childhood imagination.

This particular story moves inside the mind of a young child to explore his imagination. This is about a young boy who had a frightening experience in his childhood.

The writer has created two different voices in the story. The first voice is of the narrator and the next voice is of the child.

The story is based on a young boy and his imaginative red carpet game. He undertakes this terrible imaginative game of red carpet to fulfil his wish which is the achievement of a cute puppy on his birthday.

The Themes of the story 

There are many themes here in this story as a child's imagination, the imaginative world of children, reality vs imagination, fear as an ultimate obstacle, greed etc.

Setting of the story 

The setting of the story has presented the house front door's stairs and inside the hall where the huge red carpet has been placed. This is a house in England. This imaginative game plan is about crossing the hall's red carpet stepping on the right colours and reaching inside from outside the front door's stairs.

CHARACTERS

A young boy:

His mother:

SUMMARY

This short story "The Wish" is about an imaginative game plan as well as the wish of the child. Here in this story, the child plays his imaginative game using the colours of the red carpet. His imaginative game is quite tough to play which is related to life and death. This game is connected with the child's wish. If he gets success to reach inside crossing the red carpet, he will get a puppy as a gift on his birthday. The wish of the child for a puppy has made him creative and imaginative.

In the very beginning, the boy imagines the different colours of the red carpet as different things. He supposes red colour parts as a lump of coals, black colour parts as black cobras and adders whereas yellow colour parts as a safe zone. He decides to cross the carpet stepping on the safe zones. His wish for a beautiful puppy on his birthday encourages him to undertake this terrible game. He moves ahead stepping yellow zones safely at first.

When he reaches halfway across, he starts to wobble around. He starts being panic to find no way ahead. He balances his body by waving his arms. He doesn't get a proper step ahead. He remains in the yellow zone thinking much about possible ways ahead.

The fear of losing the puppy compels him to continue his way ahead. He makes proper use of his mind, pauses himself and steps further quite carefully.

Just a step ahead of halfway, the child has to make a decision. He has to choose an option whether to move on the left or the right. When he moves his further step, he is a centimetre close to black. His luck saves him.

While choosing the way ahead, he moves left because he fears much about black poisonous snakes on the right. When the snakes look up to see if he touches the black part or not, he defends himself through his panic dialogues. Next, he has to take a long stride. When he jumps, his feet fall on the spots too wide. He tries to get back but can't. He feels stuck.

The snakes start stirring underneath his feet. He starts to wobble being panic. He tries his best to balance himself by waving his arms. Finally, he falls and gives a loud cry as he touches the black.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Answer the following questions:

a. What did the child do to the scab on his knee?

Answer:

The child examined his kneecap's scab at first. He pondered much and decided to pick it up. He gently picked that scab with his fingernail and put it on his thigh. Finally, he flipped it with his finger.

b. What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?

Answer:

The carpet had an imaginative effect on the child. When the child moved closer to that carpet and noticed its different colours, he found himself in his imagination. He planned a terrible imaginative game where he supposed different colours of carpet as different obstacles. That particular carpet made the boy undertake the terrible imaginative game to get his wish on his birthday.

c. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet?

Answer:

While walking across the carpet, he was afraid of red and black coloured spots of the carpet. He supposed the colours of the carpet as different things in his imagination. He thought the red coloured spots as the lump of burning coals and the black coloured spots were the black poisonous snakes. He was afraid to be burnt down as well as bitten by burning coals and poisonous snakes during his journey. So he stepped very carefully only on yellow coloured spots which he had thought to be a safe zone.

d. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?

Answer:

Here in this story, the child imaginatively played a game using a red carpet. He put an imaginary challenge for himself supposing the red carpet as an obstacle between him and his goal. Here, his wish of getting a puppy on his birthday motivated him to start and continue on his journey.

e. What did the child see as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet?

Answer:

The child saw black poisonous snakes and adders stirring as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?

Answer:

The writer creates two voices in the story. The first voice is of the narrator and the next voice is of the child.

b. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

"... the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders mostly, and cobras, thick like tree trunks around the middle, and if I touch one of them, I'll be bitten and I'll die before tea time. And if get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow."

i. What does 'the black part' mean?

Answer: `The black part' means thick poisonous black snakes like cobras and adders.

ii. Who is the speaker?

Answer: The speaker is the little child.

iii. Why doesn't the speaker want to be burnt?

Answer: The speaker doesn't want to be burnt because he wants to get his wish (a puppy) on his birthday after crossing the carpet safely.

c. Which images and metaphors are used in the story?

Answer: There are various images and metaphors used here in this story. The used images in the story are a scab, big hall, sitting boy on stairs, huge red carpet, different colours of carpet, a lump of coals, thick and poisonous black snakes, safe zones, boy's mother etc. The different colours of the carpet are metaphorically used in the story. Here, red colours are compared with lumps of coals, black colours are compared with thick black poisonous snakes and yellow colours are compared with safe zones.

d. summarize the story.

Answer: see the summary above.

e. The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?

Answer:

Here in this story, among two styles, I think the narrator presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers. We find the narrator's or Roald Dahl's task of narrating is outstanding. He keeps on relating every single event more clearly to make this story interesting. He keeps on narrating this story from the beginning to the last. He uses boy for certain dialogues in the text. He is the person who keeps on telling all the readers about the main character boy and his story and acts in the story.

f. Is "The Wish" a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.

Answer:

Yes, this short story is about self-confidence overcoming fear. The child seems fearful while watching his scab. He thinks much about picking it. He raises many questions with himself. He picks out his scab being panic.

He creates his obstacles supposing the colours as coals and snakes. He even puts his goal across the carpet. He moves on bravely on the carpet wishing for a puppy on his birthday. He tries his best to overcome his fear. His self-confidence and his wish end as he falls in the black colours. The wish of the child itself is so clear in his imaginative game. He wants to get a puppy on his birthday. He is keenly waiting for his birthday. Due to his longing for a puppy, he undertakes a red carpet game where he puts himself in critical situations. He becomes panicked time and again but continues his carpet journey to reach his goal which is a birthday gift.