Happy Birthday Matilda! (belated birthday recognition for George Trow & Roald Dahl)

Last Saturday would have been the seventy-sixth birthday of George William Swift Trow Jr., born on September 28, 1943.  Trow was a novelist, playwright, and a media critic who spent thirty years writing for The New Yorker magazine.  I just discovered Trow when sorting my endless 'to-read list' in search of an author with a September birthday.  His long essay “Within the Context of No Context” first appeared in The New Yorker in 1980 and later was printed in book form.  The book was republished in 1997 with a new introductory opening essay “The Collapsing Dominant.”  Trow's essay expounds on the dangerous effect that television has on society.  He goes as far to say that the decline of America after WWII can be summed up in one word … television.   

I knew my mind was in for some deep thoughts when considering the focus of this essay and how its title even begs the question of ... what is the context?  And really how can we be into or part of something that doesn't exist?  The answer required slow reading and contemplation on Trow's ideas.  I was reminded of lyrics in a Bob Dylan song about TV.  The song describes a protest, taking place in Hyde Park, about the dangers of television.  A television crew was there to film the event as things began to escalate from peaceful protest to a full blown riot.  Ironically the event that disparaged television was televised.      

Trow sheds light on how easily our culture was/is influenced by commercials, daytime television, and celebrity heroes.  America's sense of history is fading and there is a lack of community involvement.   It has been replaced by America's hobby … watching television.  One example of how individuality has suffered was described with an analysis of the popular quiz show Family Feud.  Before Family Feud, quiz shows were about facts and factoids but now contestants were no longer being asked about what was true or factual.  They were being asked what do 100 other people think might be the case.  It is also sobering to consider that this was originally published in 1980, before the invention of iPhones and the frenzy of social media.  Today the value of  ideas seem to be based on the number of Facebook views and likes.

Another serious fact Trow includes stuck with me: A child will have seen upward of four thousand hours of television before he or she ever sees a school. This is as much time as that child will spend in his or her high-priced college classroom – should he or she ever get to a high-priced college classroom.

If you choose to tackle Trow’s allusive essays, I would recommend that they be read in the order they were written.  “The Collapsing Dominant” begins by quoting from the ending of “Within the Context of No Context,” and goes into a bit of Trow’s family history.  An interesting note mentions that his great great grandfather was practically the inventor of the telephone book, creating the first directory for New York City in 1786 with 846 names. 

I also love this explanation Trow writes for “the young male child I saw in Douglas, Alaska ...”  it is a perfect example of Trow's writing style, subtle to the point of unintelligibility.  Your parents had a third parent – television.  If you went back to 1950 you would be surprised.  Many people – of all kinds and conditions – had just two parents.  In the time since then, the referee has won all the championship matches – and the referee is a value-free ritual.

My book club also read Matilda, a  favorite children's book that was 'born' (published) on October 1, 1988, and is included on both celebrated “must read” lists; Books to Read Before You Grow Up and Books You Must Read Before You Die. British novelist Roald Dahl, author of Matilda, was born on September 13, 1916 and is so well-loved that his birthday was made into a national holiday. He is known for his fantastical tales, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda and others.  Nearly all of Dahl's books have been made into films and are read by young and old alike.

Matilda wasn't around when I was growing-up, but I remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  It was one of the first long books I ever read (with chapters) when I was about ten years old.  My family was on an eight-hour road trip to visit my grandparents and Dad was amazed that I was so quiet during the whole trip.   I was totally absorbed in the story and as soon as I finished reading the book, I started reading it over again immediately.  Since our trip lasted into the night, I also remember holding my book up to the rear view window in order to read by the headlights of passing cars and trucks.  

The good memory of reading about Charlie's adventures in the Chocolate Factory built my anticipation as I began reading Matilda, and once again Dahl did not disappoint.  If there weren't so many other books on my 'to-read' list I would be tempted to simultaneously read it again! 

This book is about a very intelligent little girl, named Matilda Wormwood, whose family doesn’t appreciate her. Her mother is always leaving to run off and play bingo.  Her father is a dishonest used car salesman who favors her older brother and constantly puts her down.  Matilda feels alone and out of place in this dysfunctional family. Until one day she finds her way to the library, discovers books, and amazingly teaches herself to read.  In no time, Matilda Wormwood becomes a bookworm. At the age of four she is reading classics like Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Animal Farm by George Orwell. 

Evenings at the Wormwood house are spent eating TV dinners, on TV trays, while glued to the ‘boob tube.’  While her family is riveted to the TV, watching wrestling or silly game shows, Matilda finds comfort in books. 

When she is old enough for school, her teacher Ms. Honey sees that Matilda is no ordinary student. She tries to have Matilda placed in a gifted class, but the school’s headmaster Ms. Trunchbull says NO!  Obviously Ms. Trunchbull is in the wrong profession. She really can’t stand children and accuses Matilda of cheating or showing off.  All the children fear Ms. Trunchbull, a former Olympic shot-put champion, who likes to throw the children around and yells a lot.  After Ms. Trunchbull catches a boy stealing a piece of chocolate cake, she punishes him by forcing him to eat an entire cake in front of the whole school.  I guess the purpose of the punishment was to make him so sick of cake that he would never steal, much less eat another piece of cake.

All of Dahl’s characters are over-the-top and as the story develops Matilda takes revenge on her parents and Ms. Trunchbull.  First with simple pranks and later with a newly discovered talent, telekinesis.  At this part in the story, I imagine that young reluctant readers are hooked.  What child wouldn't want to read about how big, mean adults are cleverly brought down by this small, quiet little girl?  

My book club watched the film at a special screening in the Blue Ridge Movie Lounge and met afterward for discussion and chocolate cake.  My favorite part was when Matilda got her first library card and brought home a wagon full of books.  This brought back memories of doing the same thing as a child.  I grew up in a one-car family and  remember riding to the library in a wagon pulled by mom. Then walking back home with a wagon full of books.  Sadly Matilda's mom wasn't around and she had to walk to the library and pull the wagon by herself. We talked about the neglectful parents and how even adults can be bullies. Dahl's story is an eye-opening reminder of how not all children have support at home.  There were several children at the theater and I happened to overhear comments from them about the differences between the movie and the book. It is such a joy to see children who love books, knowing that reading is the key to success! I was also glad to see the importance of libraries incorporated into this story.  Hopefully this movie, and the precocious character Matilda, will inspire viewers to read more.  

Strange how both Dahl and Trow have similar views on the evils of television! Here is a quote from Matilda to sums things up.  All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen. If only they would read a little Dickens or Kipling they would soon discover there was more to life than cheating people and watching television.