The Cloud-Men Character Analysis in James and the Giant Peach

The Cloud-Men are mysterious beings who live on top of the clouds. They generally hide from people traveling by air, but because the peach moves so silently, unlike noisy airplanes, James and his friends are able to sneak up on the Cloud-Men and even interact with them. The Cloud-Men make all the weather that occur down on Earth; James notices factories that produce cyclones and watches Cloud-Men form hailstones and paint a rainbow. They’re a frightening sight, as they stand twice as tall as a normal man, with wispy bodies and tiny black eyes. When the Centipede characteristically insults the Cloud-Men, the Cloud-Men prove themselves mean and dangerous. They hurl hailstones at the peach, attempt to board the peach, and even douse it with a deluge of water.

The Cloud-Men Character Timeline in James and the Giant Peach

The timeline below shows where the character The Cloud-Men appears in James and the Giant Peach. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the height of normal men. The Ladybug is afraid, but James shushes her—these must be Cloud-Men. Everyone is afraid the Cloud-Men will see them. The Centipede tells the Earthworm that the... (full context)

As the group on the peach watches, the Cloud-Men grab handfuls of cloud, roll them into marbles, and then toss the marbles in a... (full context)

The Cloud-Men jump. When they notice the peach, they drop their shovels and stare, dumbfounded. Everyone on... (full context)

James and his friends climb back on top of the peach. They don’t see any Cloud-Men, but they do notice that the peach is leaking. The Earthworm panics, but the Ladybug... (full context)

Silently, James and his friends watch the Cloud-Men scramble over the arch. The Centipede runs down the peach’s tunnel, but the others on... (full context)

...that held the rainbow get tangled up in the silk securing the seagulls. An angry Cloud-Man begins to climb down the string. The Centipede yells for the Cloud-Man to eat the... (full context)

Finally, the seagulls pull the peach out of the Cloud-Men’s reach. Everyone gathers around the Centipede. As the paint dries, he has to sit rigidly... (full context)

...voice is too far away to make out properly. Miss Spider cries that it’s a Cloud-Man come to get them, while the Earthworm says, “It came from above!” Everyone looks up... (full context)

...the peach seems to be going very fast. James thinks the seagulls don’t like the Cloud-Men either and want to get away quickly. At a few more points that night, James... (full context)

...but James points out that the peach lost a lot of juice due to the Cloud-Men’s hailstones. After a few more gulls fly away, the peach begins to descend. It descends... (full context)