The BFG by Roald Dahl response

One day I walked into the library, looking for a book to read. There I saw it. A Roald Daul display instantly caught my eye. I then faintly remembered enjoying it as a child, and recalled that it was a classic. I also remembered how children's books are often very good in their ability to describe interesting plots in simple and appealing language. If a child loves a book like this, how would I experience it? My initial response was a pretty good one. I enjoyed it to a fair extent. It didn’t completely pull me in, but intrigued me while I was reading it.

If you’ve forgotten, or haven’t read The BFG, here’s a refresher. One of the main characters, Sophie, is restlessly lying in bed one night when she catches a glimpse of a giant! She trembles and shivers with fear in bed as she watches the giant come closer. The giant (BFG) takes her out of her bed and brings her to his den. Sophie finds out how friendly the BFG is and they become friends with a common goal, to put a stop to all the man-eating giants. They unite and try to find a way to stop these nightly massacres.

One of the great things about The BFG is the insane and zany writing style. It’s so creative, with the whizzles and the rest of The BFG’s improper english. It makes you grin, since Roald Daul writes the BFG’s part with immense creativity, resulting in a very convincing character. He also does a great job with Sophie and her utmost fascination with the totally unknown world of giants! At first, Sophie is doubtful about this new world, but then slowly opens up to it with some help from the BFG’s patience. The BFG also mentions about how us humans like to think that we know everything, thus resulting in doubt with the existence of another conscious species. The BFG explains it in a very creative way though, naming a bunch of things that we couldn’t even imagine, which I enjoyed. I think Daul had a fun time thinking from all the different perspectives, getting in the corners and depths of the two very different beings that primarily fill the pages of this book.

The driving force behind this book’s popularity is the Big Friendly Giant himself. He’s a really interesting guy. Why is he so lovable though? He’s a solitary giant, so when Sophie comes into his life, he realizes the huge part inside of him for friendship and how he wants to have it filled. He’s very hospitable and loving with Sophie, which is a sublime thing because Sophie was probably pretty scared at the reality of her new surroundings. Another reason why he’s so lovable is the contrast with the man-eating giants. Naturally, when you have “good” and “evil” characters set up beside eachother, you’re going to root for the good character. Roald Daul strongly uses this technique to provide the contrast. I love the end of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed The BFG. If you haven’t read it, I’d suggest reading it. It has quite a few good themes in it, like friendship, justice, and growth (Sophie learning about the giant world) When the BFG gets a house and such, he starts reading, and then writes the book that you just read, it was also a nice touch.