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Original poster

Why on earth didn’t the librarian safeguard Matilda?

88 replies

BeardofHagrid · 29/08/2025 11:47

This five-year-old has to cross a busy High Street to get to the library, then comes out with, “Oh yeah, Mum goes to Bingo every day and leaves me alone in the house till night time so I come here. I taught myself to read because of the neglect.”

And all the librarian has to say is, “There’s another Charles Dickens for you, my love, do come back soon”?!

Like…..? Was she not bothered at all?

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 29/08/2025 12:08

The Trunchbull thing is "explained" in the story - her punishments are so outrageous that adults assume children are lying, although it does seem odd that none of the other teachers at the school ever report her to the authorities. I know she had some kind of power over Miss Honey but I thought there were other teachers at the school, perhaps I am misremembering. We have the book somewhere, but I haven't read it in years.

I think having read Boy, Roald Dahl's memoirs of his school years, this is based on his own experience at school even though his own parents were sympathetic and wanted to go and complain to the headteacher when he was caned on one occasion. But he certainly grew up at a time when generally, adults believed other adults over children, and it wasn't that uncommon for parents to hit children again if they found out they had been hit at school. This is a bit of an exaggeration of that dynamic, which many good children's stories are anyway, but perhaps it truly felt as though some more sadistic adults/teachers had power to treat children however they wanted with absolutely no comeback from anybody.

There were school inspectors going right back to Victorian times but I'm sure someone so devious could have disguised the Chokey as a boring filing cabinet or similar and didn't lock anyone in there when an inspector was coming!

Original poster
BeardofHagrid · 29/08/2025 12:07

Eliza342 · 29/08/2025 11:58

Haha I’ve always had beef with the librarian for this too 🤣

She’s such a let down :(

OP posts:
yellowcupofhappy · 29/08/2025 11:59

Matilda was published before the children’s act came in in 1989

i know when it did as I was a young child at boarding school and we all had to have sessions on it

Eliza342 · 29/08/2025 11:58

Haha I’ve always had beef with the librarian for this too 🤣

TaborlinTheGreat · 29/08/2025 11:54

Because it's fiction and 'Everyone was nice to the little girl and she never encountered any problems or dangers' doesn't tend to make a very good story Grin. Roalsld Dahl's adult characters aren't exactly known for their reliability and good sense!

EscapadeVelocity · 29/08/2025 11:53

I remember having a discussion with the small child I was reading it with on just this question, @BeardofHagrid. Can’t remember what conclusion we came to, though …🤷‍♀️

Oganesson118 · 29/08/2025 11:53

Why wasn't Danny's father hauled to court for not sending him to school until he was 7 or 8?

And why wasn't Mr Hoppy reported to the RSPCA for having hundreds of tortoises?

Original poster
BeardofHagrid · 29/08/2025 11:53

TheNightingalesStarling · 29/08/2025 11:51

Why didn't Harry Potters Primary School do anything? It was obvious he was neglected. It made no sense for the Dursley family to neglect him as they were so determined to be seen as "perfect".

The neighbours must have seen and heard it going on, too.

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 29/08/2025 11:53

Maybe because the book was written in 1988 so it was presumably set in the 80s/70s/maybe even 60s?

Child welfare standards were different then. I think the librarian probably knew there was nothing she could directly do to help Matilda, her parents weren't doing anything illegal, so she tried to help her by recommending her lovely books instead.

Original poster
BeardofHagrid · 29/08/2025 11:51

Trading Standards should have had a word with Papa Wormwood. Putting sawdust in people’s motors 😠

OP posts:
Darragon · 29/08/2025 11:51

It was a totally different time.

TheNightingalesStarling · 29/08/2025 11:51

Why didn't Harry Potters Primary School do anything? It was obvious he was neglected. It made no sense for the Dursley family to neglect him as they were so determined to be seen as "perfect".

MakingPlans2025 · 29/08/2025 11:49

Why did Ofsted not do something about Miss Trunchbull locking children in cupboards? Why didn’t the union do something about Miss Honey not getting paid? Why didn’t social services not do something about Matilda’s parents? (Because it’s a story 😂)

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