Matilda By Roald Dahl Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN – Bruce Boggtrotter And The Cake.

71.

39

It may seem hard to a reader to understand why Trunchbull was allowed to get away with such cruelty. What, according to Matilda, is ‘Trunchbull’s great secret which explains this?’

Matilda tells Lavender that Trunchbull’s great secret is ‘never do things by halves’. The more outrageous a punishment, the less likely a parent is to believe it when their child comes home and tells them about it. They are more likely to think that their child is making it up.

72.

39-40

It wasn’t long before the school got yet another demonstration of Trunchbull’s wrath when she summoned Bruce Bogtrotter to the stage during a meeting in the Assembly Room. What had Boggtrotter done wrong?

Boggtrotter had stolen a piece of Trunchbull’s ‘private chocolate cake’ the previous day and had been spotted eating it by the cook.

73.

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How does Trunchbull punish Boggtrotter in front of the whole school?

Trunchbull had arranged for the cook to prepare another giant cake and asked Boggtrotter to sit down and eat the entire thing in front of the assembled school, thinking that it would be impossible. Failure to finish the entire cake would result in him being put in ‘The Chokey’.

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44

Is Turnbull’s punishment of Boggtrotter a success? Explain your answer.

No it wasn’t. It quickly becomes a competition between Turnbull and Boggtrotter with the latter desperately trying to eat the entire cake without being sick or begging for mercy. The rest of the school soon started to support Boggtrotter. After eating what seemed like an impossible amount of cake he eventually finishes every last bite and was applauded by the rest of the school.

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44

How does Trunchbull react when Boggtrotter finally manages to eat every last bite of the cake?

Trunchbull became exceedingly angry when Boggtrotter managed to finish the cake and hit him over the head with the large ceramic plate on which the cake had been served.