Muggle-Wump
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'Muggle-Wump' is a fictional character in the form of a male monkey that appears in some of Roald Dahl's books for children, and 'the Muggle-Wumps' refers to his family. It is not clear whether each central "Muggle-wump" that appears in each book is the same character or not. A single character that goes by this name apears most definitely in The Enormous Crocodile and there is a Muggle-Wump with a family in The Twits. A character resembling him (according to Quentin Blake's illustrations) also appears in The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, but is somewhat different in behaviour and role. The first two stories have him almost as a symbol of retribution to the antagonists of the overall tale, whereas the latter- though no less energetic and comical to the story- appears far more fortunate in that he is more content and safe with regards to lifestyle.
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[edit] The Enormous Crocodile
The Muggle-Wump within The Enormous Crocodile is perhaps the most "monkey-like" out of all of them. He lives in an African jungle and his favourite food are nuts. However, even he- far away from human activities and the water- is not safe from the Enormous Crocodile of the story. After reasoning with the wily reptile that it is wrong to eat litle children, he loses his temper- and, very nearly, his life, when the Crocodile rears up and bites into the tree to try to catch him. He gets revenge, however, by following the tracks of the Enormous Crocodile and thwarting his chances at catching a child just when they are about to come near him. In doing this he angers the Enormous Crocodile into just wanting to eat more children, only to be thwarted by the Roly-Poly Bird (another recurring character in Dahl's books) and especially Trunky the Elephant.
[edit] The Twits
The Muggle-Wump in this story has a family and is subject to great cruelty at the hands of Mr and Mrs Twit, who are retired circus trainers. They force the Muggle-Wumps to balance on their heads, one on top of the other, or else stand and walk on their their hands- all at the peril of feeling Mrs Twit's "beastly walking-stick" across their bodies. Occasionally, it is said, one of Muggle-Wump's children will faint through the rush of blood to their heads. To add insult to injury, they are kept (when not doing these torturous exercises) in a cage overlooking the Twits' garden, at the centre of which is a large dead tree that Mr Twit smears in glue to trap birds for his favourite dish of bird pie. Though the monkeys shout warnings, the birds cannot understand their language and so are always caught.
However, like the Muggle-Wump in The Enormous Crocodile, he is not averse to retaliating against his antagonists. A friend from his native Africa, the Roly-Poly Bird, arrives while on holiday in England. He can speak both the African language of the monkeys and the English of the native birds, and with his help they escape from their cage while the Twits are out, remove every object from the living room and stick it on the ceiling with the very same glue used to trap the birds. They then, on the Twits' return, have two birds drop some glue on the couple's heads. On entering their house, the Twits (living somewhat up to their name) think their living room has turned upside down and that they must therefore be standing on the ceiling, and so stand on their heads- like their own monkeys before them- and so become stuck- like the birds. Muggle-Wump and his family are then able to return to Africa with the help of the Roly-Poly Bird, presumably to live happily ever after.
[edit] The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
This monkey is possibly not a Muggle-Wump at all, but he is sprightly and energetic just like the other two, and shares certain mannerisms besides. He is also arguably more central to the story: whilst the other two have to wait until nearly half-way through the stories they are mentioned in before making an appearance, this monkey is the "me" within the rhyme "The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me" (although the "me" of the story's title could equally well be a reference to Billy, the narrator). He is a window-washer by trade, and has a very good working relationship with his partners, the (Gerraneous) Giraffe, whose neck can stretch out to any length and the Pelican (or "Pelly), the top half of whose bill can roll up inwards like a tape-measure: the Giraffe is the ladder, the pelican (with his deeply-pouched bill) is the bucket for the water, and the monkey cleans the windows with a cloth. Although he and his fellow animals are relatively low on money having spent it on their living quarters, they remain optimistic.
Whilst he is working for the Duke of Hampshire, however, he and the Giraffe happen to notice an armed burglar stealing the Duchess' jewellery. The Pelican traps him in the pouch of his enormous bill and he is handed over to the police. The kindly Duke allows both the monkey and his friends to live on the grounds of his wealthy estate, and their old house is reverted into its former function- a sweetshop- much to the delight of the narrator.
[edit] See also
Fictional monkeys Literature heroes
