James and the Giant Peach

by

Roald Dahl

The Old Man Character Analysis

The old man appears mysteriously in Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge’s garden one day with a bag of tiny green crystals. He wears an emerald green suit and has an odd, scratchy beard. Somehow, the old man knows that James is unhappy and gives James the crystals, which he claims will magically improve James’s life if ingested. He disappears just as mysteriously as he arrived after announcing that the crystals are made from crocodile’s tongues. James finds him frightening, though he takes the old man at his word and plans on eating the crystals.
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The Old Man Character Timeline in James and the Giant Peach

The timeline below shows where the character The Old Man appears in James and the Giant Peach. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
Children vs. Adults Theme Icon
Fun, Nonsense, and Absurdity Theme Icon
At this point, a “rather peculiar thing” happens to James. An old man in a green suit comes out of the bushes. The man is bald, with a... (full context)
Chapter 4
Children vs. Adults Theme Icon
Fun, Nonsense, and Absurdity Theme Icon
James takes the bag and stares at the old man . He listens as the old man tells him to put the crystals in water,... (full context)