Danny, the Champion of the World

No sympathy is shown toward Mr. Hazell, even as he stands among all his “stolen” pheasants on the day of his party. Instead, Dahl accentuates the characterization of Mr. Hazell as reprehensible and hideous: his swearing “scorches” Danny’s ears, he foams at the mouth, and his skin “turned from scarlet to purple” (181). The whole group, including members of society who are traditionally viewed as “upstanding citizens,” such as the doctor and police sergeant, goad and gaslight Mr. Hazell, cause property damage, and steal his birds. They all take great pleasure while doing this, with Sergeant Samways expressing, “I wouldn’t ‘ave missed this one for all the tea in China” (194). The citizens have little sympathy for Mr. Hazell since the balance of power rarely tips in favor of working-class people, and Mr. Hazell’s rude behavior and assumptions about William make it difficult for the people to feel bad for him and his situation. It could be argued that William and his friend’s actions against Mr. Hazell temporarily redress the injustices they have suffered at the hands of wealthy landowners in the past and will continue to suffer in the future since the power ultimately lies with the wealthy upper class. This justification of their poaching and lack of sympathy further underscores the themes of The Upper Class Versus the Lower Classes and The Gray Area Between Right and Wrong.

Even though nearly all the pheasants get away, William and his friends are only mildly disappointed with the loss and seem content with the six that are left. The pleasure William and Danny got from planning, preparing, and carrying out the phenomenal night of poaching together is enough for them. This illustration of The Powerful Bond Between Father and Son is concluded in a brief exchange that Danny and William have outside the filling station after everyone has left: “‘Well, Danny’, my father said, looking at me with those twinkly eyes of his, ‘that’s that’. ‘It was fun, dad’. ‘I know it was’, he said. ‘I really loved it,’ I said. ‘So did I, Danny’” (198). Beating Mr. Hazell in the ongoing class war made it a success for everyone else too. As Doc Spencer drives away, he says to William “Don’t be sad William […] It was a famous victory!” (197), summing up the general feeling of triumph against the overlord. William’s upbeat, optimistic character is shown by his ability to seamlessly pivot from misfortune to cheerfulness: Rather than dwell on the lost birds, William and Danny start planning their next adventure together. Enjoying each other’s company is more important to them than material gain or loss. They are content and appreciate that what you do with the people you love in the time you have is the most important thing in the world.