The BFG
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The BFG (which stands for "Big Friendly Giant") is a children's book by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake, first published in 1982. An animated movie based on the book was released in 1989 with David Jason providing the voice of the BFG and Amanda Root as the voice of Sophie (see The BFG (film)).
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The story is about an orphan girl called Sophie (thought to have been inspired by Dahl's granddaughter Sophie Dahl). One night when Sophie cannot sleep during the 'witching hour', she looks out of the window of her dormitory and sees a giant blowing something into bedroom windows down the street. The giant sees her, and although she tries to hide in her bed, he reaches through the window and carries her away to his home.
Fortunately for Sophie, she has been abducted by the world's only good giant, the Big Friendly Giant (or BFG). Operating in the strictest secrecy, the BFG catches dreams (which manifest themselves in misty Dream Country as floating blob-like objects) and at night, he blows his bottled dreams into the bedrooms of children. When he catches a nightmare, he explodes it or uses it to start a fight among his neighbors.
The other giants are not so pleasant; each night they go out into the world to steal and eat children. There is little else for them to eat where they live; the BFG, because he refuses to eat people, must survive on a revolting vegetable known as a snozzcumber. Luckily he is also able to make a delicious drink called frobscottle, which is fizzy and infinitely refreshing. It is rather unusual in that the bubbles in the drink travel downwards and therefore cause the drinker to break wind instead of burping; this causes noises known as Whizzpoppers.
Sophie and the BFG become friends. Sophie persuades the BFG that something must be done to destroy the evil giants. Together they develop a plan to get the Queen of England to help them. The BFG mixes a dream which will show the Queen what the giants do; when complete, it is the worst nightmare he has ever encountered. They set off for Buckingham Palace and blow the dream into the Queen's bedroom. The BFG then leaves Sophie on the Queen's windowsill and retreats into the palace gardens.
When the Queen awakens, Sophie tells her that all her dream was true. Because the dream included the knowledge that Sophie would be there when she woke up, the Queen believes her, and speaks with the BFG. After considerable effort by the palace staff, the BFG is given a lavish breakfast, and the Queen begins work on eliminating the evil giants. She calls a King of Sweden and the Sultan of Baghdad to confirm the BFG's story, then she summons the Heads of the Army and the Air Force. The said officers, though initially belligerent and skeptical, are brought to co-operate.
Eventually a huge fleet of helicopters follows the BFG to the giants' homeland. While the child-eating giants are asleep, the Army ties them up, hang them under the helicopters, and flies them to London, where a special large pit has been constructed from which they will not be able to escape.
As punishment for their lifetimes of child-eating, the giants are forced to eat snozzcumbers for the rest of their lives. The BFG is given a nicer place to live, and becomes a writer, while Sophie lives next door in a little house.
The nine human-eating giants in the story are:
- The Fleshlumpeater;
- The Bonecruncher;
- The Manhugger;
- The Childchewer;
- The Meatdripper;
- The Gizzardgulper;
- The Maidmasher;
- The Bloodbottler; and
- The Butcher Boy.
Most of these are only mentioned by name; some are given a larger role, such as Fleshlumpeater, who is the nastiest of them all, and Bloodbottler, who invades the BFG"s cave early on. Later, the BFG narrates the hunting methods of Childchewer, Gizzardgulper, and Meatdripper. It is also remarked that each giant has his favorite hunting ground, though they vary at times. Because all humans taste differently, the giants have certain preferences; all detest Greece as a hunting ground, however.
[edit] Snozzcumber
The Snozzcumber is a fictional foodstuff featured prominently in this novel. The Snozzcumber resembles a cucumber, but differs in various respects. The snozzcumber is considerably larger, being for the BFG a dietary replacement for the humans his kind eat, despite its apparently unpleasant taste. It is hollow and wart-like growths appear over its surface. It, along with Frobscottle, is the sole diet of the Big Friendly Giant until he has captured the man-eaters. Having done so, he feeds them snozzcumbers for the rest of their lives– an apparent act of revenge.
[edit] Connections to other works
The BFG is mentioned in Dahl's earlier children's book Danny, the Champion of the World, in which he is featured in a bed-time story told to the protagonist, Danny, by his father.
[edit] Editions
- ISBN 0-224-06452-5 (hardcover, 2002)
- ISBN 1-85715-924-1 (hardcover, 1993)
- ISBN 0-679-42813-5 (hardcover, 1993)
- ISBN 0-435-12279-7 (hardcover, 1984)
- ISBN 0-224-02040-4 (hardcover, 1982)
- ISBN 0-374-30469-6 (hardcover, 1982)
- ISBN 0-590-06019-8 (paperback, 1982)
- ISBN 0-14-131137-1 (paperback, 2001)
- ISBN 0-14-130283-6 (paperback, 1999)
- ISBN 0-14-130105-8 (paperback, 1998)
- ISBN 0-14-034019-X (paperback, 1985)
- ISBN 0-14-031597-7 (paperback, 1984)
