Believe the Unbelievable

 Authors Note: Expect the unexpected. Dream the undreamt. Believe the unbelievable. This will tell you the encounters that Matilda goes through in her crazy, unimaginable life.


Have you ever heard of someone with magical powers? There are magicians that can perform magnificent tricks by practicing them over and over. They learn how to trick others by the illusions they create. Magicians know how to make objects appear as if they are levitating without any strings attached. Although this act may seem extraordinary, there is a girl who can do something even more bewildering than this. In the book Matilda by Roald Dahl, Matilda’s life is transformed when she discovers her mysterious secret powers. She uses these powers to overcome the negativity from her principal, parents, and all the other people surrounding her that make her feel like she can’t escape. Matilda’s life changes dramatically while teaching everyone some very important life lessons.

You can learn a series of lessons from Matilda, but one that I noticed was never be afraid to be yourself.  Even though Matilda’s family didn’t like it, Matilda loved to read. She would bring home a pile of books almost everyday from the library after walking a mile to get there. One day, her dad told her that she couldn’t read during their family dinner when everyone was watching television. Matilda took a stand for herself and told her father that she loved to read, and nothing was going to stop her from doing that. Many people try to fit in with the latest trends, newest technology, and give into peer pressure.Matilda proved to others that being yourself may be difficult to go against what the world’s views are, but evidently being yourself is much more fun. Why are you trying so hard to fit in if you were born to stand out?  

While one lesson is to always be yourself, there is another important lesson that caught my attention. This lesson would be that you are truly never alone. People might have the same thoughts as you, or the same exact ideas, but if you take a stand for what you believe in then things will change dramatically. More and more people might be comfortable about speaking up and saying that they agree with what you believe as well. Even though Matilda felt like no one else was going through what she went through, she soon realized that Ms. Honey could relate with her. Ms. Honey stood by Matilda through it all. She comforted her, stood up for her, and was a true friend.

Matilda is just one example of all the people who never give up. After all, she didn’t give up when her parents put her down. She could have easily taken it all in and let the words become reality, but Matilda took a stand by choosing her own future by not letting her parents rule her life. She knew what she wanted and didn’t want to be raised by parents who didn’t truly respect her and treat her like a normal child. She felt very comfortable with Ms. Honey, her school teacher, and wanted her to become her legal guardian.

There are many lessons to be taught from this book. Even though it may be easier to give up, it is through the hard times that shape us into the person that we become. It is important to know that there is always someone that can relate to what you’re going through since you are never alone. People will always tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but don’t let the opinions of others stop you from doing things that you love.