Blog 25: Notable Moment from James and the Giant Peach

This book falls under the category of Grotesque/Dark Fantasy, but even knowing that I do not like the way death is discussed in the book. As I said in my Anticipating post, I did not like the way Dahl talked so casually about death in the begining of the novel. I understand that the Aunts were cruel to James, but that does not excuse killing them and feeling good about it.

   "But is it not very unlucky to kill a spider?" James inquired, looking around at the others.
   "Of course it's unlucky to kill a spider!" shouted the Centipede. "It's about the unluckiest thing anyone can do. Look what happened to Aunt Sponge after she's done that! Bump! We all felt it, didn't we, as the peach went over her? oh, what a lovely bump that must have been for you, Miss Spider!"
   "It was very satisfactory," Miss Spider answered. "Will you sing a song about it, please?"
   So the Centipede did.   page92

'A lovely bump' really did not seem appropriate to me. The group in/on the peach is rejoicing in the fact that the aunts were smushed and that they did it. What does this teach our children?? And at the end of the book, James supposedly writes the book we are reading and publishes it for everyone to read about his adventures. Does no one notice that this child they are treating like a celebrity killed someone?
I know you are thinking...He didn't do it on purpose. Its not like he pulled a weapon on her or anything... It's not if he intended to do it or not, but his actions and reactions to it happening. In today's violent society, where kids are brought up on video games that teach them to kill, giving them literature that says its ok to do it on top of all that does not seem very smart to me. I know I am probably taking this to literally, but I can't help thinking that somewhere out there, a troubled tween justified hurting his mom with fruit after reading this story.