45 pages • 1 hour read
Roald DahlDanny, the Champion of the World
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1975A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Food
Food is used throughout the book to symbolize victory and success as well as contentment with the simple pleasures in life. In the first chapter, Danny describes the comforting sound of apples “thump…thump…thump…” (7) falling onto their caravan roof from their tree, which mirrors the exhilarating “Thump! Thump! Thump!” (148) sound of pheasants falling out of the trees during their record-breaking poach. A supply of fresh apples symbolizes self-sufficiency, and the bounty of stolen pheasants symbolizes success. The meat pie Doc Spencer brought to Danny and the hot drinks and “midnight feasts” of sandwiches made by William in their tiny caravan represent comfort and sharing, components of community and love. This simple meat pie made by Doc’s wife is described like a feast, reflecting the love and care that went into making it and Danny’s heartfelt appreciation of Doc’s gesture of kindness:
The most enormous and beautiful pie in the world. It was covered all over, top, sides and bottom, with rich golden pastry […] The meat was pink and tender with no fat or gristle in it and there were hard-boiled eggs buried like treasures in several different places. The taste was absolutely fabulous. (86).
William reminisces about delicious “toad-in-the-hole” (123) and hot tea, comfort food symbolizing his happy childhood.
Food also symbolizes aspirations of prosperity: William and Danny chat about their new oven in terms of foods they will be able to cook instead of reheated baked beans: “We could have roasted pork one day […] roasted leg of lamb the next or even roasted beef” (201). Pheasants symbolize success: over-fed, tame pheasants are used by Mr. Hazell to display his wealth while poached and roasted pheasants symbolize “a glorious victory” (92) won by William and his friends against the evil overlord.
The Caravan
The Romani caravan William and Danny live in is a symbol of poverty and of home. The caravan is old and tiny, with rotten wheels and no electricity, emphasizing William’s poverty. Danny and William are extremely happy living there, and the characteristics of the caravan that are used to depict poverty (the single room and shared bunk, woodburning stove, minimal furniture, and simple platform) are the very things that make it a beloved home to Danny. The lack of space provides Danny with a feeling of security: “Most wonderful of all was the feeling that when I went to sleep, my father would still be there, very close to me, sitting in his chair by the fire, or lying in the bunk above my own” (7). The caravan provides William and Danny with everything they need from a home—shelter, warmth, and a space of their own to be together.
Storytelling
The motif of storytelling, both fictional and non-fictional, runs throughout the book. The tradition of poaching is passed on through stories that William and (to a lesser extent) Doc share with Danny about their youth. Successful poaching methods are passed down through the generations by stories, as are the justifications for poaching, ensuring that the history of wealthy landowners ignoring the plight of starving villagers is not lost. The fictional bedtime stories William tells Danny are an important part of their relationship. William transports Danny out of their small caravan and poor surroundings with his exciting stories, feeding Danny’s imagination and strengthening their father-son bond.
Contentment
A deep sense of contentment that Danny and William radiate despite having minimal material wealth is a motif that runs throughout the book. Danny loves the tiny one-room caravan with sparce furniture because he is completely content just to be with his father. William makes Danny feel loved, safe, and appreciated, which is reflected by Danny’s happy contentment infused into every chapter. Descriptions of Danny’s simple childhood—no oven, tablecloth, car, or electricity in the caravan and “the workshop had been my playground” (15)—are framed with appreciation and love, never with longing for more. This is highlighted when Danny sits with his father on their basic wooden platform outside the caravan and muses, “People with houses have a front porch or a terrace instead, with big chairs to lounge in, but I wouldn’t have traded either of those for our wooden platform” (199). When Danny picks apples from their one apple tree he marvels at this simple gift: “how many families are so lucky? Not one in a thousand, I would guess” (101). The motif of contentment shown by working-class people, such as William, contrasts with the unhappy life of wealthy Mr. Hazell, who has no friends and spends his money trying to impress other wealthy people who despise him.
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