The Wish by Roald Dahl Class 11 English

 

About the Author

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot. His books have been sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has born in Wales to Norwegian immigrant parents. He served in the Royal force during the Second World war.

The story “The Wish” is about a young child and his imaginative game of carpet. This story has presented the child’s wish as well as the frightening event of his childhood.

Summary of The Wish

The story “The Wish” is about a young boy who had a frightening event in his childhood. At the beginning of the scene, we find an unnamed child looking at his kneecap’s scab and bent forward to examine it closely. He picked his scab gently which fell upon the edge of the red carpet. When he moved near the scab different colours of the carpet attracted his attention. He creatively imagined each different colour represent something. In his imagination, he supposed the red coloured spots as lumps of coal that could burn him, black colour as a poisonous snake that could bite him, and yellow colour as the only safe zone for him where he could step and cross the huge carpet to get inside, he would be gifted a puppy for his birthday.

So the boy begins his quest. The first part is easygoing but reached some difficult parts and has to take long strides. He wobbles but stretched out his arm to keep himself in a steady position. Then reaching a turning point, he chooses left because it’s difficult but black spots were less there. He reaches the halfway point and knows he cannot turn back or jump off. Then he begins to feel panic rising in his chest. He takes another step to the only close yellow spot and his foot is only a centimeter from the black patch. A snake stirs and raises its head to watch him. Although he was trying to balance himself it did not work. He started to cry as he touched the black

And the story ends with his mother who was looking for him behind a house outside the sunshine.

Analysis and Interpretation of The Wish

• The story “The Wish” is about a young boy’s fantasy in which his carpet is alive with snake and fire.
  The writer has used imagery and metaphor which helps to reflect on the delicacy of our childhood innocence.
• Unnecessary fear is harmful.
• Fear causes people to make bad choices.
• The images and metaphor represent the obstacles and challenges he faces as he matures. Vivid challenges that Dahl uses to reinforce the metaphor include the scab, red spots on carpet, black sections, etc. He faces many challenges in pursuit of his goal which represent the obstacles in his path to maturity.

Solution of Exercises

 Understanding the text 

Answer the following questions.

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

➜ The child examined his knee cap'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?

➜ The child becomes extremely amazed to see the red carpet. He had never really noticed it before in such a way. The different colours of carpet seemed to brighten mysteriously and spring out at him in a most dazzling way. He was thoroughly lost in those colours and his imagination.

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

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

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

➜ His wish of getting a puppy on his birthday or as a birthday gift motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey.

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

➜ The child saw different colours brightening mysteriously. He was lost in different colours' spots. He kept on thinking in his imagination about the colours and their different forms. 

Hence, the child saw the poisonous snake with the oily body of snake arising to catch or bite him 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?

➜ Yes, the writer creates two voices in the story and they were (a narrator) and the voice of the young boy i.e 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 I 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?

➜ The black path means the difficulty, challenges and suffering in the journey.

ii. Who is the speaker?

➜ The speaker was a young boy i.e the child.

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

➜ The speaker doesn't want to be burnt because he wants to get a birthday gift as a puppy tomorrow.

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

➜ Images:

i. Scab (knee of the boy).

- It represents the boy's curiosity, desire, interest to go ahead in his journey.

ii. Black parts of carpet (snake).

- It depicts hardship, difficulty, suffering and troubling in life.

iii. Read patches (fire)

- it shows about fire i.e danger because it can burn a little child.

iv. Yellow patches (happiness)

- the yellow patches of the carpet represents relief, pleasure, hopefulness, happiness, and self-confidence in his life.

Metaphors:

The carpet represents a conflict in his life. He may be unable to take the right decision or choose the right option. We may suffer a lot due to the wrong choice. If we go with the right option, it leads to the right path and we do not have to feel any difficulty in our life. Otherwise, we will suffer if we take the wrong decision or path at the wrong time.

d. Summarise the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.

➜ Visit "The Wish by Roald Dahl Summary" for the short summary of about 200 words.

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?

➜ The child represents the story in more interesting and effective where are view than the narrator because the child was a hardship. He faces and won all the challenges. Birthday gift as a puppy motivated and encouraged him to continue his journey. He was strong enough to complete his journey. Not only he faced all the challenges, but he also won them too.

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

➜ "The Wish" story is all about self-confidence and overcoming fear. We can take this story as a motivational story too because the child completed his journey or challenges as birthday gift encouraged him. 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. But when he sees the carpet his fear increases high. He imaginatively makes a game plan. He gathers his confidence to cross the carpet. 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 as a birthday gift. He tries his best to overcome his fear. His self-confidence and his wish end as he falls down in black colours.

 Reference beyond the text 

a. Do you think our wish can be fulfilled? Why or why not?

➜ Not all the wants, desire and wishes are fulfilled. We need hard and complicated practise to fulfil our wish, want, desire, interest. We should be calm while making every decision. The right decision leads to the right path that only can fulfil our needs and desire.

When we desire something that is called wish. Hard work is needed for wish to be fulfilled. But all our desire can't be fulfilled at all. All are not happy because their wish and desire are not fulfilled and when the wish will not fulfil they will be upset. Almighty helps in every condition.

Therefore, to fulfil our wish, needs, desire and satisfaction we should practice a lot then only we can be happy.

b. Why do you think some people might have a frightening nature? What would you suggest to them to overcome it?

➜ Some people might have a frightening nature because they do not have self-confidence.

I would suggest the following points to overcome it:

- Learn more about your fear, this first step can be the hardest one but it's also absolutely necessary.

- Use your imagination in positive ways.

- Use your brain in a different way than usual.

- Focus on your breathing.

- Practice mindfulness.

- Use nature as your therapist.

c. Write a folktale that you have heard or read.

➜ Folktale (Nepali: Dantya Katha) is a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. Write one you have heard or read.