Four levels of ‘The Hitch-hiker’ by Roald Dahl

Another masterpiece by Roald Dahl. The hitchhiker should go be a Pirate. For more notes of BBA Second Semester English II, CLICK HERE!

Facebook Twitter Instagram

The Hitch-Hiker

-Roald Dahl

1. Literal Comprehension:

The “Hitch-Hiker” is a first person Narrative story. The narrator was on his way to the jeweler in London, all alone in his new pale blue colored MW car of 3.3 l and top speed of 129 mph. He happened to see a man thumbing for a lift. As a narrator was attuned to the experience of being a hitch-hiker, he invited the man to come into his car. The hitch-hiker, Michael Fish, was going to Epsom. They talked and the narrator told the hitch-hiker about himself. He explained that he was a writer. The hitch-hiker commented the narrator’s profession as a skilled one, stating that he himself was also in a skilled profession. The narrator was challenged by the hitch-hiker to see if the car really could get up to its top speed of 129 mph. They drove to a stretch of flat even road, and the narrator opened up the throttle. He reached up to 120 mph just as police officer flashed his sirens and pulled him over. The officer issued the narrator threats of license cancellation, imprisonment, and gave him an offence ticket. The cop also noted the hitch-hiker’s address and occupation. After the cop departed, the narrator was worried. But the hitch-hiker consoled him that nothing would happen. The hitch-hiker then revealed that he is a finger-smith, a very skilled pickpocket by showing all of the narrator’s possessions with him. He then told the narrator that he had taken the cop’s ticket and notebooks, adding that they should leave the highway and make a bonfire to burn ‘em on.

2. Interpretation:

The story may be trying to tell us that an uneducated man with the finest skills can be superior to the learned ones in some of the cases. They can prove to be better in the field of their expertise. The story can also be interpreted that education is means and ends to everything in this world; one can also be extraordinary with special skills without education. A man with correct grammar and writing skills may not be able to tackle with some tricky situation, but the same situation can be easily tackled by a person with extraordinary skills and no education. Besides, the story might also be trying to say that the policemen are the most ill-mannered people in the world. Their level of thinking is too poor and they lack sense of humor. Furthermore, the story might be trying to mean that we should never under value anyone who looks ordinary as they can be hidden treasures.

3. Critical Thinking

“The Hitch-hiker” is a masterpiece of Roald Dahl. This is one of the most readable gripping stories, with every second arousing reader’s interest. The presentation of the story is marvelous. Domination of dialogue over narration has made it more dramatic and more life-like. Its teaching will always be guiding its readers freshly with its greatest philosophy that the secret of life is to be very good at something that is impossibly hard to accomplish. It is too much agreeable that no easy work makes a man great. Hardships bring success in our life.

But despite all, for a critical thinker, this story is a gold mine. Michael Fish performs some Herculean job of taking off one’s belt, shoelace and other belongings like watch… etc. from the narrator’s body, and the ticket books and the notebook from the policeman’s pocket. He also concedes that was the easiest job he had ever done. He also proclaims that he could even take out the narrator’s false teeth out of his mouth without his knowledge if he had any. This sound a little too much. Thus, the characteristics of Michael Fish can please a reader when he outsmarts a policeman. But it is too tall to create a character with power of a phantom. So the prominent flaw of this story is to create a ghostly character that deprives the story from giving it a realistic touch. The character isn’t humanly and the readers cannot empathize with him. He is beyond anyone, maybe a much desired persona.

4. Assimilation:

Reading of this story has changed much of me. I felt that one needs a lot of formal education to be efficient, capable, genius, respectable, and likable. But my views are shaken badly after reading this story. I have realized that individualism is not the matter of education alone. One can make a career by being expert in any field that is extremely hard to do. I have got an insight that I will never be able to achieve fame and success by doing ordinary, petty jobs. I need to coach myself to do something that is pretty tough and sounds almost impossible. I have also understood by reading this story that we should never be deterred in trying the impossible and achieve the impossible. I have also realized that “a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover.” We can judge a person only by having proper knowledge of one’s intrinsic capabilities and skills.

Seems like I have to search for a new role model… A Pirate. All these years I have been wasting my time learning all those sh!t I will have to unlearn later.

©LinkinMyth: Academia-Four levels of ‘The Hitch-hiker’ by Roald Dahl