“The Ratcatcher” Essay Example

word associated with burning you can begin to think of the Ratcatcher as a very sinister person, maybe even the devil himself as the ears can be shaped to look like horns in our imagination as they are thin and pointed.

Finally I think it is important to talk about the Ratcatcher's eyes. His eyes are very black, in fact they are jet black. To me it seems that his eyes are very dangerous. One look will send you into the pit of his soul, if he has a soul that is. The blackness in his eyes seems to tell us that maybe he has no soul, it's all just empty space down there. But from somewhere comes a flash of yellow. What is this? Something evil and terrifying? Or is it the other side of the Ratcatcher, some good in his being? I don't think we will ever find out.

The Ratcatcher displays some very abnormal behaviour throughout the story and I think it is important to discuss this. I will deal with the worst thing first. Nearer the end of the story the Ratcatcher does the worst thing possible, he bites the head off a rat. Readers will probably find this very disgusting and maybe even somewhat disturbing. The Ratcatcher does this because of his need to impress and shock. He feels that by doing something unusual he will then gain the attention and respect of the men, but his plan doesn't go down as well as he would have hoped, "our faces were hostile and sick looking, crimson with anger and disgust." By doing something as horrible as this the Ratcatcher shows his inability

to comprehend where normal behaviour ends and abnormal behaviour begins.

Of course as I mentioned earlier, this isn't the first thing he did. There are earlier signs that all lead up to the ending. At the beginning of the story the Ratcatcher arrives and has a conversation with the men. Almost immediately he changes the subject to something he knows a lot about which seems to make him intelligent. He likes to dominate the conversation and make the men look as if they are stupid and know nothing. He becomes the centre of attention as the men become avid listeners. "Claud was listening, rapt." Another sign is when we see his reaction to his failure to kill the rats. He is obviously disappointed and angry. His reputation has fallen and this is what spurs him on to do his disgusting 'stunts'. "He was obviously trying to retrieve his reputation."

In conclusion, "The Ratcatcher" has had a huge impact on me. His appearance seems disgusting and slightly weird. I don't that I would like to meet a man who bites the heads off of rats. He seems very abnormal and likes to show off to everyone he meets. I would describe him as vain. Dahl uses a wide array of techniques to enhance the reading experience. At time I actually felt as if I was really there. "The Ratcatcher" by Roald Dahl is a great story and I would highly recommend it anyone.