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Roald Dahl

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Roald Dahl
The depression of the 1930’s was a very difficult time. With war suppressing the world and those within it, the impression this era left on society is immense (BBC). Having lived in Europe at this time, the author Roald Dahl reveals the influence which living in this time period has made. This is demonstrated in his stories “The Wish”, “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Man from the South”. The significant situations of this era assist in the establishment of a foundation for his work, bringing the dominant sentiments into action within the characters, themes and settings of Dahl’s short stories.

When the Second World War ended in Europe, there was a sudden post-war realization that ultimately nothing would ever be the same (BBC). It was the end of a world war, but there was a continuation of conflict among and within all nations. The end of World War Two brought with it the consequences of communism, the continuance of additional wars, the economic drainage of countries, and mourning among all people from the casualties of war (WikiAnswers). Along with the war, the lives of the younger population were harmfully affected by private schools which implemented the idea of corporal punishment (Corporal Punishment Archive). The result of these two conditions is reflected in Roald Dahl’s stories, as he was influenced by both the war and his school. The subsisting conflicts, shrewd protagonists and grotesque atmospheres in Roald Dahl’s “The Wish”, “Lamb to the Slaughter”, and “Man from the South”. These writings expose the disturbed mentality of both Dahl and the society which he was apart of, produced by the influences of 1930’s education and war occurrences.

Roald Dahl’s stories revolve around ongoing conflicts, as conflict was an element which had an overwhelming presence during the time in which his stories were written. In each of Dahl’s stories, subsisting conflicts prevail over any other components in his work. In his short story, “The

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