The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More

“I stood there listening to the conversation of these human beings. They were discussing the destruction, the consumption and the flavor of a creature who seemed, even when upside down, to be extraordinarily dignified.”

In this story, Dahl uses a highly critical first-person narrator to expand upon the theme Kindness and Cruelty. The narrator looks down on the crowd and believes that their treatment of and attitudes toward the turtle are deplorable. However, the narrator does not intervene; instead, he observes as the men drag the upturned creature by a rope up a hill. In this quotation, Dahl uses direct characterization to give a sense that the crowd is devoid of kindness.

“The guests began wandering back toward the hotel. They were curiously subdued. There was no joking or bantering now, no laughing. Something had happened.”

Although the stories in this collection are designed for an older readership, it is noteworthy that Dahl’s first story centers a child as the tale’s moral compass. Until David’s arrival, no one in the crowd acknowledges the cruel treatment of the turtle. Instead, everyone reacts selfishly. One man pokes the creature, while another attempts to buy it. When they learn that the manager of the hotel has purchased the turtle, they are delighted that they get to eat it. David represents the innocence of a child, and the adults are ashamed when their behavior is juxtaposed with the boy’s compassion for the animal. They leave the beach feeling transformed by the boy’s generosity of spirit.