James and the Giant Peach: Orphan Boy Growing into his Voice PDF

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James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl shows the journey of an orphan boy that learns to grow into his own voice....

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Nelisa Vazquez

 y Roald Dahl shows the The book and movie James and the Giant Peach b journey of an orphan boy that learns to grow into his own voice, meaning, he learns to stand up for himself and what he believes in. There are mostly many similarities in the movie and the book, though there are slight differences. The film does a very good job with expressing very close details that align with the novel. Also, there were differences in the book and movie that did not affect the mood or the moral of the story completely, and are worth mentioning. Most of the differences between the book and movie revolve around censorship. Historically, books and movies share many differences, however, the movie James and the Giant Peach d  id a great job in limiting the differences. Some of differences in the book and movie include the fact that the book went into much darker details on how James’ evil guardians Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge treated him. According to wellybannedbooks.weebly.com, the book was banned from various libraries and schools due to the book being dark and mysterious. The source states “the book as a whole is very dark and mysterious, which could have some hidden dark meaning and although children would not recognize them, they could still ban the book for its dark feel” (https://wellybannedbooks.weebly.com/james-and-the-giant-peach.html). For example, in chapter one of the book it explains how James was locked up for punishment. In the movie James was not exactly a free soul able to do what he wanted, but he did have

have certain freedoms. He wasn't completely confined in the movie as he was in the book. In the book, James’ evil Aunt Spiker tells James “I shall beat you later on in the day when I don't feel so hot” (Dahl 2). Then, the book states “today and tomorrow and the next day and all the other days as well would be nothing but punishment and pain, unhappiness and despair” (Dahl 3). The movie acts in a more vague way when it comes to the way the aunts treat him. The director of the movie James Selick shows the aunts scolding James in a less severe way, by telling James open threats rather than getting as physical and violent as the aunts were in the book. For example, in the movie, one of the aunts tell James “they haven’t caught the rhino who killed your parents you know”, suggesting that the rhino would come back and kill him too if he doesn’t listen to what they say. (Selick). By having more open threats rather than physical altercations and violent acts, Selick censored the story, making it more suitable for younger children. The film did a great job with keeping up with the storyline in the book. Some of the main ideas from the book did remain intact for the film. For example, in the film one of the most relevant issues in the book was that James didn't have a voice or much of an identity when has was in the shadows of his evil Aunts Sponge and Spiker. In both the book and movie both Aunts treat James as if he is the horrible step child, especially when it comes to mealtimes. According to Voracious Children: Who Eats Whom in Children’s Literature by Carolyn Daniel, Daniel states “above all, food is never just something to eat: even when it is mundane and everyday it carries meaning. Food events are always significant, in reality as well as fiction” (Daniel 1). His Aunts have him do all of their physical labor and scold him while eating all of the dinner and leaving him

hungry at night. According to FOOD AND POWER IN ROALD DAHL’S JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH AND NEIL GAIMAN’S CORALINE b  y K  arlie E. Herdon, Herdon states “by refusing to feed James like an equal, like a human, they refuse to grant him status and identity as human. In this way, he is denied human society and, in turn, human identity” (Herndon 18). Both the author Roald Dahl and the director Henry Selick use the peach in a unique way that eventually gives James the voice he desperately needed. In both the book and the movie, James stumbles upon a man who notices James’ misfortunes. This man is just known as The Old Man. He gives James these magical seeds and he instructs James to grow these seeds and the answer to all of his misfortunes would be answered. James stumbles as he was running and dropped all of the magical seeds, and the giant peach begins to grow as his aunts come out and instruct James to continue with his chores. In both the film and book the Aunts use James’ peach as a scam to make money. Later on that night James reaches into the peach because he was really hungry. He then found himself inside the peach and that is when he meets all of his friends. James is greeted by all of his companions all insects. According Daniel, “food events in children’s literature are clearly intended to teach children how to be human” (Daniel 12). Theses insects offer James food, which is so significant because ironically they give him all of the love in the world that he should’ve gotten from his Aunt’s. James feels at peace and comfortable with the creatures. They begin to open up to James and brag about all of their unique qualities. All of James friends love him and show him so much love and actually give him a voice. His friends

are the opposite of his evil Aunts Sponge and Spiker because they actually care for him and want him to be happy. According to the book and the movie, James has different goals in each. The movie focuses primarily on James wanting to travel to New York to fulfill the dream of his deceased parents that dreamt of going there. The book focused more on James craving companionship from other kids. The movie did mention James wanting to play with other kids a couple of times, but not enough to proclaim it was the main goal for James in the story. Another difference that was noticeable in the book and film was the ending of both. In the movie it ends with James magically appearing on top of the Empire State building in New York City. Some children in their windows notice him and quickly try to get James attention. Next, a New York City Officer notices as well and calls for supreme back up because they have not seen anything like this. Later his evil aunts Spiker and Sponge appear trying to claim the peach is there and they demanded James leaves with them. James experiences a character growth and stands up for himself and tells everyone in New York how much his Aunts torture and humiliate him. James’ friends The Centipede, Miss Spider, The Earthworm, The Old Grasshopper, and The Ladybug all appear in the aftermath of the Peaches arrival. It finally ends with James and his friends becoming famous and the peach becoming a monument in the City. The ending of the book was similar. It ending the same way as the movie, except the only slight difference is that the people of New York thought the peach was a bomb and that is why they were initially fearful. Residents of New York were in fear that this peach was the biggest bomb ever and it caused the President to call for military help. I

felt that bomb threat part was not mentioned in the movie because they are aware the the main audience is children. Major bomb threats are definitely a topic that would be censored out for the movie. Censorship is very common in children’s books, because society does not believe children should be exposed to certain real world things such as bomb threats. The overall message of the book and the movie is that underdogs can eventually win. James was tortured and abused by his two Aunts which made him a sympathetic figure. With the help from his insect friends he found peace and happiness. The message from the book and movie are the same; the movie just censors out many parts of the book that are deemed to be inappropriate, or not suitable for children.

Work  Cited

Dahl, Roald. James And the Giant Peach : a Children's Story. New York :Knopf, 19891961. Print.

Daniel, Carolyn. Voracious Children: Who Eats Whom in Children‟s Literature. New York: Routledge, 2006.

Herding, Karlie. FOOD AND POWER IN ROALD DAHL’S JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH AND NEIL GAIMAN’S CORALINE. Uncw. North Carolina. 2009.

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