The Magic Finger

Empathy is the capacity to understand and share the feelings of another. It comes from the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes, to empathize with a situation or set of experiences that are outside one’s own. The Greggs do not have the capacity to empathize with the animals who live in the woods. The Magic Finger partially transforms them into animals, literally placing them in the position of the creatures they love to hunt. It is only after they experience the trials and tribulations of being animals that they come to realize the evil of their deeds.

Dahl gives the Gregg family a taste of their own medicine. After the transformed ducks enter the Gregg home, the family is distraught. They cry: “‘They have taken our house. What shall we do? We have no place to go!’” (30). The Greggs are furious and dismayed by the ducks and their audacity. This is an allegory for humans’ constant intrusion into nature and their subsequent destruction of it.

Throughout their transformation, the Greggs slowly learn about the plights of the ducks they hunt. In doing so, they are taught the importance of empathy. Animals must survive other predators, Philip realizes: “We will be eaten by cats and foxes in the night!” (30).