"The Three Little Pigs" by

Roald Dahl

Everyone knows Roald Dahl!

Dahl's adaptation of The Three Little Pigs retells the tale of three piglets who are hunted, house to house, by a Big Bad Wolf. However, Dahl's reinterpretation contains a plot twist.

According to Dahl, the Big Bad Wolf isn't as big and bad as Miss Riding Hood!


Excerpt #1

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"

"No, no, by the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin!"

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"


The Wolf said, "Okay, here we go!"

He then began to blow and blow.

The little pig began to squeal.

He cried, "Oh Wolf, you've had one meal!

Why can't we talk and make a deal?"

The Wolf replied, "Not on your nelly!"

And soon the pig was in his belly.


[...]

"If I can't blow it down," Wolf said,

I'll have to blow it up instead.

I'll come back in the dead of night

And blow it up with dynamite!"

Pig cried, "You brute! I might have known!"

Then, picking up the telephone,

He dialed as quickly as he could

The number of red Riding Hood.

Excerpt #2

"Hello," she said. "Who's speaking? Who?

Oh, hello, Piggy, how d'you do?"

Pig cried, "I need your help, Miss Hood!

Oh help me, please! D'you think you could?

[...] I know you've dealt with wolves before,

And now I've got one at my door!"


"My darling Pig," she said, "my sweet,

That's something really up my street."

[...]


Ah, Piglet, you must never trust

Young ladies from the upper crust.

For now, Miss Riding Hood, one notes,

Not only has two wolfskin coats,

But when she goes from place to place,

She has a PIGSKIN TRAVELLING CASE.


Questions to think/talk about:

  • In your opinion, what aspects of this story make it humorous? How is the humour effective in relaying the message of the story? What is the message?

  • What is the significance of the origins of the story, and the role that this fairytale plays in making this work a didactic farce? (Didactic farce: intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.)

  • It states in Excerpt #2 that Miss Riding Hood later has a "PIGSKIN TRAVELLING CASE" How does this imagery effectively convey the didactic message?

  • What element of this story do you think makes it most satirical?