Fantastic Mr. Fox — Chapter 11

About This Passage

This is Dahl compressing three events into a single passage: the Small Fox's breathless report, Mrs Fox's physical recovery, and her declarative acceptance of the feast. Notice the verb 'spluttered' — a word that sounds like a body talking faster than it can breathe. Notice the hedge 'seemed to give' rather than 'gave' — Dahl refuses to claim hope and strength are identical; he only claims they appear together. And notice that Mrs Fox does not rise until AFTER she has spoken her declaration. Language precedes motion here. She becomes strong by saying she is.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, retell Chapter 11 with attention to craft. What stages does Mrs Fox move through on seeing the hens? What does the Small Fox carry, and what does his running tell us about him? What are Mr Fox's first words at the end of the chapter, back in the tunnel? Where does the chapter's emotional center of gravity actually live?

Discussion Questions

1. Mrs Fox's first response to the hens is 'I'm dreaming,' murmured, with her eye closing again. What does this protective disbelief reveal about what three days of siege have done to Mrs Fox's relationship with hope itself?
2. Dahl compresses Mrs Fox's transformation into a single sentence: 'The sight of food seemed to give new strength to Mrs Fox.' Analyze why the author chooses 'seemed to give' rather than 'gave.' What does the qualifier reveal about Dahl's theory of how hope works on the body?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide