Читать книгу From Page to Screen / Vom Buch zum Film - Группа авторов - Страница 24

Some of the main features that shaped the original Matilda are inextricably related to the core topics addressed by Dahl. Consequently, in this section we intend to explore the book’s and the film’s characterization of the little girl (and that of other characters that determine Matilda’s traits) through some of the central themes tackled throughout the pages of Dahl’s novel.

If there is a prevailing feature defining Matilda’s character that is undoubtedly her passion for literature. It is not a coincidence, for example, that the book opens with a chapter titled “The Reader of Books”. Similarly, this connection is emphasized throughout the book via the light under which Matilda is described1, the myriad situations in which literature frames her actions (Matilda visiting the library, reading at home, etc.) or even the numerous illustrations crafted by Quentin Blake2 that portray the little girl reading or with a book in her hands. In the film, literature does also play an important role in Matilda’s life. Matilda is presented to the spectator as a very intelligent girl neglected by her family, whose parents would not take to school and with no friends, but despite this, books are her main help and consolation. The narrator underscores this fact when he says “these books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone” (DeVito et al., De Vito, 1996: 07:10). While the narrator is telling this, we can see the image of parents having fun with children at a park while Matilda sat alone under a tree with a pile of books.

This unswerving bond between the protagonist and literature is not only a way to underline the importance of the latter, but also a gateway to one of the pivotal issues addressed in the book: education. Throughout the story, Dahl approaches several aspects linked to this field as, for example, the (in)appropriateness of different methodologies, the impact the agents involved (family, instructors) in the teaching-learning process may have on children’s education, or the relevance of galvanizing reading promotion plans (Quiles Cerrillo, 2016: 150–158). The position the author holds with regards to these issues is easily inferable from, for instance, the portrait of some characters that represent the two poles of a continuum that connects negative and positive educational habits. On the former side we can include characters such as Mrs. and Mr. Wormwood or Miss Trunchbull, characterized in the book as simpletons, brutes, and even physically disgusting. The film maintains this tone when it comes to describe them. Whenever we see the Wormwoods on screen, they are either in front of the TV, yelling, or performing bad actions such as Mr. Wormwood’s cheating with car selling, or Mrs. Wormwood going to play bingo and leaving her little daughter home alone. The case of Miss Trunchbull is similar: the film presents a giant lady whose only purpose in life seems to be to scare, threaten and physically punish the children in the school she manages.

If we are to look more in depth to Matilda’s parents, it must be said they are the opposite to her daughter. While Matilda loves books, there are no books at the Wormwood’s house, just a few magazines (and a cookery book mentioned in Dahl’s pages, not in the film). They prefer watching television instead and cannot work out why Matilda would rather read a book. In addition, while Matilda craves knowledge, her parents seem to give little importance to the girl’s intellectual development. The scene described in section 4.1 in which Matilda’s father destroys the book may be a good case in point: as he cannot understand the pleasure and enlightenment that stem from reading, he tears the book apart, thus severing one of the ties of her daughter to the joy and instruction she does not get at home.

Besides and because of their inattention, Matilda starts school late. In the book, we are told that she starts half a year later than the rest of the children because her parents forget to make the arrangements. In the movie, they do not take her to school until she asks them to, which in both cases pinpoints how little they were worried about their daughter’s education. This is emphasized in the film in the scene when Matilda gets home after her first day of school: she finds her mother lying on the sofa and talking on the phone; when Matilda enters the house, her mother asks her how school was, but she does not stop chatting on the phone and ignores and even reprimands Matilda when she starts telling her about her new school.

There are several passages in the book which are mirrored in the film and reflect the negative educational habits embodied by the aforementioned characters. A case in point occurs when Miss Honey visits Matilda’s parents to talk about how brilliant the little girl is. Mr. Wormwood would not let her go into the house when Miss Honey tells him she is Matilda’s teacher. In the book, he tells her that Matilda “is your responsibility from now on. You’ll have to deal with her” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 86) and in the film Miss Honey gets a similar response: “whatever it is, it’s your problem now” (DeVito et al., De Vito, 1996: 34:25). When finally Miss Honey gets to talk to the parents, they confirm that there are no books at home “We don’t hold with book reading (…) we don’t keep them in the house” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 90), and the mother tells Miss Honey that “a girl should think about making herself look attractive so she can get a good husband later on. Looks is more important than books, Miss Hunky” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 91) or “a girl does not get a man by being brainy” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 92), which again shows the Wormwoods’ mentality towards education.

If in Dahl’s story the Wormwoods are presented as careless parents who only pay attention to Matilda in order to reprimand her and consider her as a burden rather than a blessing, the case of Miss Trunchbull and the values she fosters and tries to instill also resonate with bad educational habits. Miss Trunchbull is the headmistress of the school, but she literally hates children and uses fear and threats as the basic means to educate them. In a similar way, the film depicts her as a “gigantic holy terror” and as a “fierce tyrannical monster”. What is more, when Dahl’s pages describe her, we learn Miss Trunchbull does not have any of the required qualities to be a headmistress. As the narrator tells us: “most headmasters (…) understand children and they have children’s best interests at heart. They are sympathetic. They are fair and they are deeply interested in education. Miss Trunchbull possessed none of these qualities and how she ever got her present job was a mystery” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 76).

As we can see, she is not entitled by studies or abilities to deal with children, and their instruction is of no interest to her. On the contrary, she is cruel, thinks all children are bad and describes girls as “nasty little things” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 80). Both in the book and in the film, she does not pay any attention to Miss Honey when she tries to convince her that Matilda is a genius and should be moved to a more advanced class, and attributes this suggestion to Miss Honey not being able to control the girl. In addition, her rule is that “all children remain in their own age groups regardless of ability (…) Whoever heard of such a thing!” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 82–83). With this, it is shown how Trunchbull could not care less about Matilda’s education, for she does not see how a 5-year-old girl who knows how to read can be called a genius. By maintaining this adamant position and neglecting Matilda’s abilities she is also denying the girl the possibility of taping her full potential and dooming her to attend a group in which lessons could easily become boring and unchallenging for her.

Hence, it could be concluded that these adults’ behavior regarding literature and education could be damaging for Matilda’s future, a frame of mind conveyed both in the book and in the film. The motion picture also conveys Miss Trunchbull’s dangerous attitude towards Matilda’s schooling and her parents’ questionable teachings that include praising the benefits of watching TV as opposed to those that stem from reading books, or not letting her go to school when the time came because it was more important that she stayed at home to pick up any parcel that could arrive.

All things considered, a more pliable infant could have finally been convinced that reading habits and education in general would not bring anything good to her life. Fortunately, this does not happen, since there is an opposite end of the spectrum that encircles characters like Miss Honey (or Matilda herself) and counterbalances the aforementioned approach. In contrast to Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey is presented both in the novel and in the film, as a young teacher who cares about her students, and helps them learn with motivating and creative techniques. Dahl defines Miss Honey as “lovely and fragile” and a polite young woman “adored by every small child under her care” (Dahl, 1988; 2016: 60–61). She is an understanding teacher who cares for her students and treats them with love and respect. As opposed to Trunchbull, Miss Honey has studied to be a teacher at a Teachers’ Training College. In the chapter “Miss Honey’s Story”, the book reveals how she could not study a university degree because her aunt, Miss Trunchbull, did not allow her to enroll. In addition, Dahl describes here how Miss Trunchbull managed to take everything Miss Honey should have inherited when her father died and she became her legal tutor. The Trunchbull treated Miss Honey as a servant, she probably beat her, and therefore she lived in fear and felt like a slave when she was a girl.

Because of the cruelty of the story, Miss Honey’s life is portrayed in a different manner on the screen. The way Dahl describes the teacher’s way of life and her past can be considered quite harsh for the audience of a family film. Through Dahl’s account, we learn Miss Honey lives in absolute poverty. Even though she works at the school, almost all her wages go directly to her aunt as, according to Miss Trunchbull, she owed her for having fed her all those years. She only gives Miss Honey one pound per week; therefore, she has to live in a farm-laborer’s cottage with no running water, electricity or furniture. She has no money for food, just for tea and some bread, while her aunt lives comfortably in Miss Honey’s house. All this might be (extremely) appalling for the intended audience of the motion picture and, for that reason, in the film adaptation Miss Honey’s life is not as hard. She has gone to college and become a teacher, she lives in a modest house but has everything she needs, and when she tells Matilda that Miss Trunchbull is her aunt, most of the details in the book about her life as a child are omitted or reduced to facts like Miss Trunchbull being strict, hiding his father’s portrait or not letting her eat her favorite chocolates.

Either way, Miss Honey is presented in both accounts as the counterpart of Miss Trunchbull and, consequently, she represents a good influence for children regarding good educational habits. As opposed to Trunchbull’s disrespectful and abusive methods, Miss Honey treats her students with respect, and she applies motivating techniques which help them acquire new knowledge, as learning through poetry, having posters and the children’s work on the walls, working in groups, and creating a good classroom atmosphere so that students feel comfortable and willing to learn.

As for the brilliant and extraordinary little girl that appears on screen, she shares several similarities with her literary counterpart. In this vein, both in the book and in the film, Matilda shows her love for books and teaches herself to read, write and do mathematics. She takes care of herself and becomes an independent little girl because her parents do not pay any attention to her, and when they do, it is just to criticize her behavior. In the same manner, Matilda is in both cases presented as a polite, determined and articulate character with an adamant attraction towards learning and going to school. Her passion for books and studies makes her admire Miss Honey and consequently criticize her parents and Trunchbull, and it is precisely her hate of the injustices that stem from the prejudicial educational models certain adults seek to impose what leads her to try to counteract them.