Essay Questions

How does the narrator of “The Boy Who Talked with Animals” very quickly foreshadow that this is going to be a stranger than usual story of story?

What is unexpected about the story in the first place is that it really doesn’t feature any scenes that reflect its title. In fact, the boy of the title hardly even makes any physical impact upon the narrative at all. In addition, the conclusion is completely ambiguous, providing no substantive details on much of the most important things that happen. It is, overall, a particularly strange and idiosyncratic story and this atmosphere is very efficiently set up through foreshadowing starting in the second paragraph. A Jamaican taxi drivers warns the narrator against going into the mountain forests because things occur there capable of making one’s hair turn white.

The very first description of the beach resort that will play such a significant role in the narrative is presented in imagery both foreboding and unnerving: “There was something weird and sinister about the place. Despite all the loveliness and the luxury, there was a whiff of danger that hung and drifted in the air like poisonous gas.” What gives these examples of foreshadowing a special power is the way they seem completely at odds with a title that seems to promise a much more light-hearted, kid-friendly sort of yarn.

In his essay “Luck Break: How I Became a Writer” what is unusual and unexpected about Dahl’s list of seven qualities required to become a writer of fiction?

Topping the list is the requirement of having a fertile imagination. At number two is the ability write well enough to make a scene come to life in the mind of the reader. The next five qualities on the list could be applied to any number of other career ambitions including those that have nothing to do with the aesthetic arts at all.

Among the qualities that Dahl considers essential to being a writer of fiction are unexpected physical aspects like stamina and self-discipline. He is also a very strong supporter of being both a perfectionist incapable of settling for anything less than the best that can be done and of being humble enough to accept and utilized criticism from those not convinced that the work is the best that can be done. The possession of a sense of humor that Dahl mandates as necessary is an attribute that one can almost fairly certainly say is nearly universally applied to any career option.

The point seems to be that Dahl expects those who are already interested in pursuing a career in writing fiction will have recognized the qualities related to the actual writing process and is instead trying to focus attention on the fundamental fact of life for all artistic endeavor: merely being talented is never enough to ensure success.