The Magic Finger Essay Questions

What does the magic finger represent?

The magic finger represents justice in the story. While the narrator does not use it intentionally, both times it is deployed as the result of her desire to see someone atone for something. Mrs Winter is punished for cruelly mocking the narrator for her error. The Greggs are shown the impact of their hunting trips when they are transformed into ducks. The magic finger always ends up finding a clever way to make people make up for what they have done wrong.

Why do the Greggs change their name to Egg?

The Greggs change their name to Egg to show their newfound friendship with birds and to underscore the change they have made to their lifestyle. The Greggs loved to hunt and showed no remorse for killing birds. The Eggs destroy their guns, mourn the ducks they killed, and feed the birds near the farm their top-shelf barley. The name indicates a shift in their entire way of being.

What issue does the book deal with most prominently?

Environmentalism and animal rights is the issue most prominently explored in the book. The narrator turns the Greggs into ducks and in doing so forces them to reckon with the harm they have caused the natural world around them. When they see that their hunting for sport has resulted in the massacre of a family, they renounce their hunting and find a more peaceful way to live in the countryside. In this way, the book's central theme is environmentalism and the protection of animals.

What is implied at the novel's end?

It is implied that the narrator will go out and turn the Coopers into birds, to teach them not to hunt. She runs off in the direction of shooting and says that the Coopers will be sleeping in the trees. She now knows how her powers work and seems confident in her ability to use them. This suggests that she will be able to intentionally use her magic finger to teach more families the same lesson the Greggs learned.

How does Dahl portray children in the novel?

Dahl portrays children as fairly wise in the novel. While Mr Gregg dismisses the narrator initially, he eventually comes to see that she has been right about everything all along. With her compassion for animals and the natural world, the narrator has a deeper understanding of the countryside. Children, in the novel, seem to possess a natural empathy that the adults lack.