This thesis explores the adult–child power balance and the contrast between the portrayal of children and adults in a selected works of Dahl’s children’s fiction (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Danny, the Champion of the World, George’s Marvellous Medicine, The BFG, The Witches). In these stories, child characters are generally depicted as kind, brave, resourceful and confident heroes who fight a noble fight against their villainous adult oppressors. However, adults are not villainised merely for being grown-ups, but for misusing their position of authority and power and for setting a bad example for children with their oppressive behaviour or bad parenting. Through the depiction of adults, Dahl also criticises the flaws of society, such as greediness, television addiction, obesity and excessive consumption of convenience foods. The traditional adult–child power balance, in which the adult has the authority over the child without any regard to whether or not their power is justified or exercised properly, is reversed. Children are empowered and in control, which allows them to stand up to injustice, win the battle of power between themselves and terrible adults and change their lives for the better.
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