The Monster That Doesn’t Announce Itself
A new Broadway play about Roald Dahl and his prejudice captures uncomfortable truths.
TL;DR
- Roald Dahl's children's books feature villains whose evil is visually apparent.
- The play *Giant* dramatizes Roald Dahl's anti-Semitic remarks made in 1983.
- Unlike Dahl's fictional villains, the play portrays him as a multifaceted character with both positive and negative traits.
- Dahl's anti-Semitism included casting Jews as cowards and deriding victims of the Nazis.
- The play illustrates that prejudice can coexist with intelligence, talent, and empathy.
- Bigotry is often sustained by educated elites and their justifications, not just common intolerance.
- Dahl's achievements, such as inventing a medical valve, existed alongside his prejudice.
- The play argues that the propensity for monstrosity exists within everyone, not just obvious villains.