James spends the night in the peach in a hammock woven by Miss Spider. In the morning, the massive peach comes loose from the tree and tumbles down the hill, killing Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge James and the Giant Peach is a popular children's novel written in 1961 by British author Roald Dahl. The original first edition published by Alfred Knopf featured illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. There have been reillustrated versions of it over the years, done by Michael Simeon for the first Br…James and the Giant Peach
What is the plot of James and the Giant Peach?
James and the Giant Peach Summary As Dahl's novel begins, the reader is introduced to James, a young boy who is orphaned when his parents are eaten by a rhinoceros. James is consequently sent to live with his two aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker.
What Bugs did James find inside the Peach?
Inside the peach’s pit, James enters a sitting room filled with garden bugs who are about his size. There’s an Old-Green-Grasshopper, a Centipede, a Spider, a Ladybug, an Earthworm, and a Silkworm. They greet James warmly and assure him they don’t want to eat him. James spends the night in the peach in a hammock woven by Miss Spider.
Where does James spend the night in the Peach?
James spends the night in the peach in a hammock woven by Miss Spider. In the morning, the massive peach comes loose from the tree and tumbles down the hill, killing Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge in the process.
What happens to James after the parade in the Peach Pit?
The city throws a parade in their honor, and by the end of the parade the entire peach has been eaten by local children, who want to taste the giant fruit. After the parade, James and his friends live happily ever after. The remaining peach pit is set up as a monument in Central Park, and James lives inside of it.
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What happens in James the Giant Peach?
An orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City. James' happy life at the English seaside is rudely ended when his parents are killed by a rhinoceros and he goes to live with his two horrid aunts.
What is the main problem in James and the Giant Peach?
The main conflict is that James is living with aunts who are mean and cruel. James has to decide whether to stay with his aunts, or use magic to escape. James and his new friends encounter many smaller conflicts within the story, which ultimately leads James to a better life full of friendship.
Did James eat the Giant Peach?
The massive peach lands on the spire of the Empire State Building. It is mistaken as a bomb at first, resulting in the arrival of police and firemen. Calming the crowd, James tells his story and becomes friends with many children in New York, they eat the peach and James and his friends get their own jobs.
Why was James very unhappy?
Answer and Explanation: In the beginning of James and the Giant Peach, James is unhappy because he is in the deeply abusive keeping of his aunts Sponge and Spiker, as he has been since the deaths of his parents three years before.
Why is James and the Giant Peach scary?
In addition to the violent scenes and scary visual images mentioned above, James and the Giant Peach has some scenes that could scare or disturb children aged 5-8 years. For example, a rhinoceros eats James's parents.
What does the rhino symbolize in James and the Giant Peach?
Thus, the rhino symbolizes death for James. He is left an orphan and is forced to experience a monumental life change by going to live with his terrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge. The rhinoceros also symbolizes loneliness and sadness for James as he is forced into hard labor without any children or toys to play with.
Is James and the Giant Peach appropriate for school?
R-rated and some PG-movies are off-limits; understood; but this book is entirely appropriate reading material for age 7 and above.
How long did it take to make James and the Giant Peach?
To create James' creepy-crawly but loving companions required two years of painstaking work performed by a team of 130 people.
Who is James and the Giant Peach?
James and the Giant Peach Summary. As Dahl's novel begins, the reader is introduced to James, a young boy who is orphaned when his parents are eaten by a rhinoceros. James is consequently sent to live with his two aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. These relatives are very cruel to him, and he is incredibly lonely, ...
What happens after James and his friends fly across the Atlantic?
After one day of flying, James and his friends realize that they have flown across the entire Atlantic - they can now see New York City below them. They begin to cut the seagull strings one-by-one, when suddenly a passenger plane flies above them and cuts all of the lines at once.
What happens when a peach rolls off a cliff?
The peach then rolls off of a cliff several miles away and lands in the Atlantic Ocean. From this point forward, James and his friends face a series of obstacles.
What creatures intimidate James?
When James enters the pit's inner chamber, he meets an odd assortment of creatures, who initially intimidate him: Miss Spider, Centipede, Earthworm, Old-Green-Grasshopper, and others. The next day James and his new companions begin their journey away from Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. Centipede cuts the peach away from its tree and ...
What obstacles do James and his friends face?
From this point forward, James and his friends face a series of obstacles. They must escape attacking sharks, evade the Cloud-Men and their anger, and settle internal disputes. James asserts himself as the leader and frequently saves the day. When sharks attack, he has his companions fasten ropes to nearby seagulls, then to the stem of the peach, ...
What happens if James follows the Old Man?
If James follows a set of specific instructions (says the Old Man), something spectacular will happen. James is very excited, but as he runs back to his house to execute the instructions, ...
Where does James live after the parade?
After the parade, James and his friends live happily ever after. The remaining peach pit is set up as a monument in Central Park, and James lives inside of it. So many children visit him, hoping to hear his story, that he decides to write a book about the journey. The book that he wrote is the book that the reader has just read.
Why does James sneak inside the peach?
James' aunts think the peach will make them rich and get people to pay them to see it, but James sneaks inside the peach and finds a group of insects who have become human-like from the magic and together James and his new friends escape from James' aunts and travel inside the peach to find a better life.
Who was the widow of James and the Giant Peach?
Although Dahl turned down more than one offer to make an animated film of James and the Giant Peach during his lifetime, his widow, Liccy Dahl, consented to let this film be made. She said that, "I think Roald would have been delighted with what they did with James.".
What is the peach in Spiker and Sponge?
One peach is soon found on a withered old tree, and it grows to immense proportions. Spiker and Sponge use the giant peach as an attraction, making lots of money as James watches from the house, not allowed to leave. That night, James is sent to pick up the garbage.
What is the name of the group of bugs that James discovers in the peach?
Grasshopper, Mr. Centipede, Earthworm, Miss Spider, Mrs. Ladybug, and Glowworm ). As they hear the aunts search ...
What is the movie James and the Giant Peach based on?
Source. James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 live-action/stop-motion film which was based on the classic children's novel by Roald Dahl (who also wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ). It tells the story of James Henry Trotter ( Paul Terry ), a young orphan forced to live with his two cruel and abusive aunts ( Joanna Lumley and Miriam Margolyes) ...
How long is the movie "The Peach"?
Production. The film begins with normal live-action for the first twenty minutes, but becomes stop-motion animation after James enters the peach, and then live-action when James enters New York City, New York (although the mutated insect characters remained in stop-motion).
When was James and the Giant Peach released?
Main article: James and the Giant Peach (video) The film was first released on VHS and laserdisc on October 15, 1996. A Special Edition was released on DVD and VHS on October 3, 2000. A digitally restored Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of the film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on August 3, 2010 in the United States, ...
What is the significance of chapter 23 of James and the Giant Peach?
Magic certainly plays a large role in the James and the Giant Peach, but there is a simultaneous endeavor to understand through knowledge and logic that comes into play in this portion of the novel . This chapter quietly urges the reader to ask questions and investigate problems in order to comprehend the world.
What chapter does the peach fly into the air?
With the 502nd seagull, the peach takes off towards the heavens like a balloon. In Chapter 23, everyone celebrates and dances as the peach flies into the air, safe from the sharks. Miss Spider volunteers to inspect the damage from the sharks, and when she returns she reports that there is barely any damage at all.
How many seagulls did James rope in?
Yet the sharks can anticipate that they are about to lose their prey, and they begin attacking more ferociously. Everyone can feel the peach slowly sinking into the sea. Silkworm and Miss Spider are not convinced that they can produce any more silk, but James urges them to keep trying. They manage enough to rope in a 501st seagull , and as James ties the silk around the gull's neck the peach lurches upwards, but the escape isn't yet assured. With the 502nd seagull, the peach takes off towards the heavens like a balloon.
What chapter does James comfort Earthworm?
Everyone congratulates James on his terrific plan in Chapter 21. James also comforts Earthworm and assures him that he will not be pecked to death - James will be watching him the entire time. Time is of the essence, as the passengers observe 90 to 100 sharks attacking the peach from all sides. James orders everyone to their stations, ...
What chapter does the peach pass behind the cloud?
Just then, the peach passes behind a cloud and the crew never sees the giant sphere again. Everyone on the peach is very happy as, in Chapter 24, the seagulls carry the peach further and further into the sky. The Old-Green-Grasshopper offers to play music for everyone, and he uses his body as a musical instrument.
What does James learn in Chapter 25?
James learns that earthworms process all of the soil in all of the fields, that ladybugs are bought in bulk to help farms succeed , and that Miss Spider is frustrated with the public's dislike of her species. James also learns that the Centipede is widely considered ...
What is on the top of the peach?
Using binoculars, the Captain reports that a boy in trousers, a giant ladybug, a colossal green grasshopper, a mammoth spider, and an enormous centipede are on the top of the peach.
What chapter is James and the Giant Peach?
James and the Giant Peach: Chapter 7. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in James and the Giant Peach, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Aunt Spiker, Aunt Sponge, and James stand and watch the peach. James is more excited than he’s been in a while.
What does the giant peach represent?
The giant peach, meanwhile, represents the wonders of the natural world —which are available to anyone, if they care to look. Active Themes. The peach continues to grow. When it’s as tall as the tree and about the size of a small house, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker decide it’s done growing.
What do Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker do?
Rather than simply appreciate the giant peach for the magnificent thing that it is, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker corrupt the innocence and the beauty of nature. By deciding that they’re going to make a profit off of the peach, they try to force the peach into the stuffy, controlling world of adults.
How does Aunt Sponge tell the women that a peach is ripe?
Slowly, the women circle the peach and inspect it. Aunt Sponge puts out a finger to touch the peach and declares that it’s perfectly ripe. She suggests they get a shovel and dig out a hunk to eat, but Aunt Spiker has a better idea—they can make money off of the peach.
What does Aunt Spiker say to James?
Aunt Spiker shouts for James to get away from the tree when the peach reaches the size of a pumpkin— it might fall and crush him. The branch begins to bend as the peach grows as big and heavy as Aunt Sponge. Soon after, the peach is as big as a car and it touches the ground.
How long does it take for a peach to double in size?
Aunt Spiker, Aunt Sponge, and James stand and watch the peach. James is more excited than he’s been in a while. Within 30 seconds, the peach is the size of a melon. In another 20 seconds, it doubles in size.
Is James' reaction to his aunts mature?
In comparing James’s reaction his aunts', it’s clear that James’s reaction is more mature. While James simply watches and remarks on the beauty of what he sees, his aunts completely lose all control as if they were children. With this, Dahl seems to suggest that adults may have more power than children, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re always more mature than children. The giant peach, meanwhile, represents the wonders of the natural world—which are available to anyone, if they care to look.
When was James and the Giant Peach set?
We first learned that a book's setting is where and when the story takes place. The setting of James and the Giant Peach is sometime between 1931 and 1961.
What happens to the peach tree after James spills green objects on the ground?
After James spills some mysterious green objects on the ground, the tree grows one peach, which gets bigger and bigger until it becomes ''nearly as tall as the tree that it was growing on , as tall and wide, in fact, as a small house.''
What is the setting of the peach pit?
The peach becomes the setting for most of the rest of the story. In the middle of the peach, where the pit is, lies a room filled with furniture, as well as James' new giant insect friends. Soft and silky hammocks spun by Miss Spider hang from the ceiling, and the room has a greenish glow lit by the Glow-worm's tail.
What ocean does a peach float in?
Atlantic Ocean and Sky Above. After the Centipede nibbles the peach off the tree, it rolls down the hill and into the Atlantic Ocean. The peach floats for a while in ''the vast black ocean'' that looks ''deep and hungry'' until scary sharks begin to attack it.
What is the setting of James and the Giant Peach?
James and the Giant Peach Setting. A story's setting includes when and where it takes place. Sometimes we have to use clues to figure it out. As for the 'when' of this book: James and the Giant Peach mentions the Empire State Building, which tells us the story happens somewhere between 1931, when the building was finished, and 1961, ...
What color is James' peach?
James and the insects spend a lot of time on top of the peach, too, which has skin that feels ''soft and warm and slightly furry,'' and is ''a rich buttery yellow with patches of brilliant pink and red.''
What is the most beautiful thing James has ever seen?
The giant peach is the most beautiful thing James has ever seen, and one night he discovers a hole in its side and climbs in. The hole leads to a wet tunnel that smells like sweet, fresh peach. The walls are sticky, and delicious peach juice drips from the ceiling. The peach becomes the setting for most of the rest of the story.
Plot
Cast
- James soon discovers the source of the commotion: a peach has begun to grow on a top branch of a previously barren peach tree. As the three of them watch, the peach becomes larger and larger, until it is bigger than the aunts' entire house. Seeking to capitalize on this strange event, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker set up a fence and begin charging ad...
Songs
Differences from The Book
Production
Reception
- Grasshopper- Simon Callow
- Centipede - Richard Dreyfuss
- Mrs. Ladybug - Jane Leeves
- Aunt Spiker - Joanna Lumley
Trivia
- All songs for the film written and composed by Randy Newman. 1. "My Name is James" - James 2. "That's the Life for Me" - Mr. Grasshopper, Mr. Centipede, Mrs. Ladybug, Miss Spider, Earthworm, Glowworm 3. "That's the Life for Me (Reprise)" - Mr. Grasshopper, Mr. Centipede, Mrs. Ladybug, Miss Spider, Earthworm, James 4. "Eating the Peach" - Mr. Grasshopper, Mr. Centipede, Mrs. Lad…