The Magic Finger

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of bullying, animal cruelty, and animal death.

In The Magic Finger, Dahl offers a lesson about having empathy for the vulnerable through a story that explores the protagonist’s deep concern for animals and her desire to protect them from harm. The narrator’s compassion toward animals means that she cannot stand to see animals suffer or being killed, especially for the sake of fun: “I can’t stand hunting. I just can’t stand it. It doesn’t seem right to me that men and boys should kill animals just for the fun they get out of it” (8).​ That empathy, the novel asserts, is rooted in her own experience with vulnerability, which makes her a strong ally for the animals.

The Gregg family’s treatment of the ducks mirrors their treatment of the girl at the beginning of the story. They ignore the protagonist and her strong opinions, laughing at her and telling her to keep to herself. Mr. Gregg and his sons, William and Philip, mock her attempts to stop their hunting activities, and their bullying of the girl illustrates their lack of empathy and compassion for others, including the animals they hunt.