James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach - chapter 5

James mood changes over the course of chapter 5 from ‘extremely excited’ to ‘terribly disappointed’ Give reasons for the change in his moods

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James excitedly runs off with the bag and makes a plan to create the mixture in the kitchen, in secret from his aunts. In his rush to get to the kitchen unnoticed, James trips on the roots of the ancient peach tree and the bag breaks. The tiny green things land on the ground and, as James frantically tries to gather the crystals, they sink into the ground and burrow into the soil. Devastated, James feels that all of his luck has been lost. His aunts come over to him and yell at him for being lazy, threatening to punish him by making him sleep in the water bucket to the well. He is instructed to continue chopping wood immediately, when all of a sudden he hears a shout that makes him stop and turn.

The magical green creatures represent a new start and fresh beginning, a tangible possibility of escape for James, so long as he follows the Old Man's instructions and obediently waits for something extraordinary to happen. The situation with James's aunts is bleak, but he maintains hope that his life will somehow improve.