One of the most fun things about The Bad Beginning is the way the author uses language. He'll often drop in a fun little aside about the meaning of a word to let the reader know exactly what a certain complex term might mean. While this is certainly helpful for younger readers, it's also a silly way to inject a little humor. In other words, he kills two birds with one stone (around here that phrase generally means solves two problems with one giant rock)—providing information and entertainment in one fell swoop. But that's just part of how language operates in this book, so let's dig deeper.
Questions About Language and Communication
- Why do adults in this story assume the Baudelaires don't know the meaning of words?
- How does Sunny communicate so clearly to her siblings? Is it because she's so smart? Because they're so close? Some other reason?
- How does Count Olaf's misuse of certain words add to his image of villainy? Be specific, please.
Chew on This
The author counts on our understanding of words in order to make his little asides and definitions even funnier.
Bad or incompetent people can't understand Sunny, but good and helpful people always can.