The Magic Finger

The Magic Finger, by Roald Dahl, is a children’s fiction novel in the magical realism genre and was originally published in 1966. Dahl was the renowned author of 19 children’s books, many poems, short stories, screenplays, two autobiographies, and even a cookbook. His stories for children often feature young characters who rise up against the oppressive adults in their lives. In The Magic Finger, a young girl uses the power of her magic finger to transform a family of hunters into birds and teach them a lesson about The Importance of Empathy. The book also delves into themes including The Power of Emotion and Vulnerability as a Strength.

This guide is based on the 2023 Viking Penguin Random House edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of bullying, animal cruelty, and animal death.

Plot Summary

The Magic Finger is narrated by an unnamed eight-year-old girl with a hidden superpower. When she gets angry or someone hurts her, she is overtaken by her magic finger, which can change things around her. The girl cannot control the magic finger, and once it points at someone, there is no turning back.

The girl lives on a farm, and the Gregg family owns the neighboring farm. She is friends with the sons, William and Philip, but she hates the fact that they go hunting for sport with their father. The Greggs shoot deer and ducks, including ducklings, just for trophies. When the girl speaks up about it, they jeer and tell her to mind her own business. She becomes angry, and her magic finger turns the Gregg family into tiny people with duck wings instead of arms. At the same time, the ducks that live nearby grow large and develop human hands and arms. They take over the Greggs’ house and learn to use their guns.

The Greggs enjoy flying at first but soon realize there are predators and bad weather to worry about. They work together to build a nest and manage to survive the stormy night, but the next morning, they are met by the ducks, guns in hand. The ducks confront the Greggs, who at first try to explain away their hunting, saying it’s just something they do. Finally, it occurs to Mr. Gregg that his life is in danger, and he decides to relent, giving the ducks the power for once. He promises never to hunt another animal again, and the ducks spare his and his family’s lives.

The Greggs and the ducks revert to their original forms, and the Greggs demonstrate they have learned a valuable lesson. The girl goes to check on them and hear about their experience, and she finds they are now feeding the ducks and giving proper burials to those they killed. The story ends with the girl hearing another hunter in the woods and leaving to go use her Magic Finger to stop it.