The Phantom Tollbooth

by

Norton Juster

The Giant, Midget, Thin Man, and Fat Man Character Analysis

The giant, midget, thin man, and fat man are actually all the same person, a man who is average in terms of every physical attribute. He lives in a house with four doors, each labeled with one of his personas—this allows him to hold four jobs at once. He shows Milo how a person’s perspective changes how they see the world when he explains that, for instance, to short people, he’s a giant; while to very tall people, he’s extremely short.
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The Giant, Midget, Thin Man, and Fat Man Character Timeline in The Phantom Tollbooth

The timeline below shows where the character The Giant, Midget, Thin Man, and Fat Man appears in The Phantom Tollbooth. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10. A Colorful Symphony
Knowledge, Learning, and the Purpose of Education Theme Icon
Language, Wordplay, Fun, and Logic Theme Icon
...confused, so Alec points to a small house and tells Milo to go ask the giant. (full context)
Knowledge, Learning, and the Purpose of Education Theme Icon
Language, Wordplay, Fun, and Logic Theme Icon
Absurdity vs. Reason Theme Icon
Milo knocks on a door labeled “THE GIANT,” but a normal-sized man opens the door and says he’s the smallest giant in the... (full context)
Absurdity vs. Reason Theme Icon
...draws Milo close and tells him not to ruin it. To tall men he’s a midget, to short men he’s a giant, to skinny people he’s fat, and to fat people... (full context)