Summary

The Witches, published in 1983, is a children's dark fantasy novel by Roald Dahl. Set in Norway and England, the story follows a young boy and his grandmother as they uncover a sinister plot by child-hating witches to turn all children into mice. Dahl's vivid imagination brings the terrifying world of witches to life, creating a thrilling adventure that has inspired numerous adaptations and continues to both frighten and delight young readers. In 2019, the BBC included The Witches on its list of the 100 most influential novels.

Plot

In The Witches, a young English boy loses his parents in a car accident and goes to live with his Norwegian grandmother. She warns him about witches, explaining how to identify these child-hating creatures who disguise themselves as ordinary women. When the pair returns to England, the grandmother cautions that English witches are especially vicious.

At a hotel, the boy accidentally stumbles upon a secret meeting of witches, led by the Grand High Witch. He overhears their diabolical plan to turn all of England's children into mice, using a magic potion disguised in candy. The witches discover the boy and force-feed him an enormous dose of the potion, instantly transforming him into a mouse.

Retaining his human mind and voice, the boy-turned-mouse reunites with his grandmother and devises a plan to turn the tables on the witches. They manage to obtain some of the magic potion and slip it into the witches' dinner soup. As a result, all the witches at the hotel are transformed into mice and subsequently killed by the panicked staff and guests.

With the English witches defeated, the boy and his grandmother hatch a plan to eradicate witches worldwide, using the Grand High Witch's resources. Though the boy will have a shortened lifespan as a mouse, he is content to spend his remaining years with his beloved grandmother as they embark on their witch-hunting mission.

Themes

• Struggle between good and evil

• Power of unlikely heroes

• Importance of family bonds

• Dangers of judging by appearances

• Consequences of greed and cruelty

• Overcoming fear and adversity

• Value of perseverance and cleverness

Setting

Set primarily in England during the early 1980s, The Witches takes place in a world where child-hating witches secretly exist in every country. The story begins in Norway, where the young protagonist learns about witches from his grandmother, before they relocate to England following the deaths of his parents.

The bulk of the action unfolds at a seaside hotel in England, where the annual meeting of the country's witches is being held. This setting provides a stark contrast between the mundane world of vacationers and the hidden, sinister gathering of witches. The hotel's various spaces, including the ballroom and dining hall, become key locations for pivotal plot points.

While the story is grounded in recognizable, contemporary settings, Dahl infuses these familiar places with an undercurrent of fantasy and menace. The juxtaposition of ordinary English life with the secret world of witches creates a unique atmosphere that blends the everyday with the extraordinary, a hallmark of Dahl's storytelling style.

Characters

• The Boy: The protagonist and narrator, an unnamed seven-year-old English boy. Orphaned after his parents die in a car accident, the boy goes to live with his Norwegian grandmother. Brave and resourceful, he is ultimately transformed into a mouse by the Grand High Witch. Despite his transformation, he retains his human intelligence and voice.

• The Grandmother: The boy's wise and loving Norwegian grandmother. A retired witch hunter, she educates her grandson about witches and how to recognize them. The grandmother supports and assists the boy in his mission to defeat the witches, even after he is transformed into a mouse.

• The Grand High Witch: The terrifying leader of all the world's witches. Extremely evil and powerful, she devises a plan to turn all of England's children into mice using her “Formula 86 Delayed-Action Mouse-Maker” potion.

• Bruno Jenkins: A greedy boy who is lured to the witches' meeting with the promise of free chocolate. He becomes the first victim of the Grand High Witch's mouse-making formula, demonstrating its effectiveness to the other witches.

• Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins: Bruno's wealthy parents, who indulge their son's appetites. Mrs. Jenkins is particularly fearful of mice, which complicates matters when Bruno is transformed into a mouse.

• The Hotel Manager: He runs the hotel where the witches hold their annual meeting. The manager is unaware of the true nature of his guests and becomes involved in the chaos that ensues when the witches are transformed into mice.

Quick facts

• Roald Dahl based the character of the grandmother in The Witches on his own mother, Sofie Dahl.

• The character of the Grand High Witch appeared on a Royal Mail commemorative postage stamp in 2012.

• Dahl was “well satisfied” with the book and its ending, which was a departure from his usual “all-problem-solving finish."

• The Witches has been adapted into an opera, a stage play, and two films.

• The 1990 film adaptation, directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, changed the book’s ending, which Dahl regarded as “utterly appalling."

• Robert Zemeckis directed the 2020 film version featuring Anne Hathaway, updating the setting while staying true to the book's darker conclusion.

• The Witches ranked #81 on School Library Journal's list of All-time Best Children's Novels in 2012. 

• In 2019, the BBC listed The Witches as one of the 100 Most Influential Novels.

• The Witches has been banned by some libraries for perceived misogyny and appears on the ALA's list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books.

• In 2023, Puffin Books controversially announced plans to rewrite portions of the book to make it “more inclusive."

About the Author

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter who became one of the world's bestselling authors. He is best known for his beloved children's books, including classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach. His stories are characterized by dark humor, unexpected plot twists, and villainous adult characters pitted against heroic children. Dahl's inventive use of language, including made-up words, contributed to the whimsical nature of his writing. 

Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, Dahl served as a fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force during World War II. His wartime experiences inspired his first published work, Shot Down Over Libya, launching his career as a writer. In addition to his books for children, he wrote macabre short stories for adults, often featuring surprising endings.

Beyond his literary work, Dahl made contributions to medical research, helping develop the “Wade-Dahl-Till” valve to treat hydrocephalus after his son was injured in an accident. He died at age 74, but his legacy lives on through his books, which have sold over 300 million copies worldwide and been translated into 63 languages. Dahl's stories continue to be adapted for film and stage, introducing new generations to his imaginative tales.