Essay Questions

How does George go about inventing the potions?

George is initially motivated by getting his grandmother back for bullying him. So, he makes a potion that consist of dangerous household items such as engine oil and shoe polish to make a concoction to replace his grandmother’s current medication in order to make her a better person. However, all it does is make her taller. He then goes on to recreate the potion but gets the recipe wrong and ends up shrinking his grandmother so much so, she vanishes.

What deeper message on world issues does Dahl convey?

Dahl makes references to many concepts of the real world within this text. For example, he highlights the greed and financial exploitation of the pharmaceutical world, for example, when George’s father attempts to sell the potion to make a profit for himself. He also draws attention to the issues of world hunger and how it can be solved if people were more willing to contribute food instead of hoarding it for themselves.