The Mighty Matilda

First edition U.K. book cover of “Matilda” in 1988

Remembering heroes from childhood stories can provide a sense of continuity in uncertain times and remind us that we have the power to face challenges, overcome obstacles, and achieve our goals. Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” came to mind in the months leading up to and in the aftermath of the recent U.S. presidential election.

Though he was a somewhat controversial author, Roald Dahl encourages us to overcome our unique challenges and difficult circumstances in his story of “Matilda,” published in 1988.

Despite facing adversity and neglect as a four-year-old child, the precocious Matilda finds inner strength to change her circumstances and develops superpowers that help her fight injustice and oppression. Matilda ultimately prevails because she believes in herself.

“Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.”

Matilda is only a child, yet she has the power to help not only her classmates cope with a mean and vindictive head of the school, but also her teacher. Her parents are dreadful, but she has the understanding that she is smart and capable:

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"So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.”

Matilda also encourages us that, whatever we do, we should give it our all.

“Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable.”

Though “Matilda” is a children’s story, it reminds us that we each have superpowers - we just need to believe in ourselves to discover them. Her story conveys the importance of fundamental human values: empowerment, resilience, and finding inner strength to make a positive difference.

Remember that you are not alone and that we can work together to make the world a better place. After all,

“The whole object of life… is to go forwards.” 

We may not know how our neighbors or coworkers are feeling about the election results or the extent of their concerns or circumstances, but we can treat everyone with respect, kindness, and consideration. If we remember that, together we can overcome obstacles and make the world a better place.