Danny, the Champion of the World

Dahl keeps the narrative compelling with rapid mood changes. The elation Danny and William feel after successfully scattering the laced raisins is replaced with “gloomy silence” (146) as doubt that the sleeping powder will work sets in. This is followed quickly by ecstatic excitement as the sleeping birds rain down on them.

Danny modestly brushes aside praise from his father after they count the record-breaking pile of pheasants, saying that he didn’t do it. In reply, William exclaims, “Oh, yes you did! And you know what that makes you, my dear boy? It makes you the champion of the world!” (153), revealing the meaning of the title of the book. Dahl uses the title three times in total, reinforcing the meaning behind the title. The depth of love that William has for Danny is shown by his desire to give Danny all the credit; he is so proud of his son that he wants the world to know how amazing Danny is, and this further highlights the theme of The Powerful Bond Between Father and Son.

The division between the upper class of society and everyone else is expanded in this part of the story. Doc Spencer is the village doctor and would be considered middle class, as would the vicar and his wife while Charlie the taxi driver, Sergeant Samways, and William are working class. However, they all despise Mr. Hazell and the other “fancy folk” in England’s upper class, and they all poach. Crimes against the wealthy landowner and the people who work for them, such as putting sugar in the keeper’s gas tanks (which Charlie does) are seen as good ideas rather than crimes by the townsfolk and underscore the theme of The Upper Class Versus the Lower Classes. Danny is only briefly horrified when he discovers that “just about everybody in the entire district was in on this poaching lark” (160) before being “rather pleased” (158) because Sergeant Samways suddenly seems more approachable. Danny is too young to form his own opinions about social status and everything it entails, but his father’s strong viewpoints about upper-class snobs, echoed by their tightknit community, will certainly influence Danny as he grows up, perpetuating the animosity and mistrust between the social groups.

Food is an important symbol of wealth throughout the book, and roasted pheasant plays a major role. Apparently, roasted pheasant is such a delicious dish that it is used to justify poaching and for William to consider buying an oven: “No expense is too great for roasted pheasant” (165). Roasted pheasant symbolizes wealth and success and is eaten by the “fancy folk” Mr. Hazell is desperate to impress. Dahl uses this opportunity to highlight the poor but happy life William had with Danny’s mother. William explains that without an oven they roasted poached pheasants on a fire outside the caravan.

The plot twist happens when the pheasants wake up and fly out of the carriage. Until this point, the reader believes that the community and William will soon be celebrating with roasted pheasants and a new oven. Danny narrates the scene of Mrs. Clipstone’s panicky approach and the cloud of beautiful, dopey pheasants in a matter-of-fact way, commenting only that his father “stayed remarkably calm” (178). William does not lose his temper as he sees his record-breaking haul of pheasants fly up, which either speaks to his good character or (more likely) illustrates that his main intention was to disrupt and upset Mr. Hazell and the roasted pheasants are an added bonus.