How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"The first time," Hortensia said, "I poured half a tin of Golden Syrup on to the seat of the chair the Trunchbull was going to sit on at prayers. It was wonderful. When she lowered herself into the chair, there was a loud squelching noise similar to that made by a hippopotamus when lowering its foot into the mud on the banks of the Limpopo River. […]" (10.17)
In this conversation, Hortensia describes a glorious prank she played on the Trunchbull, during school prayers of all times. This is one brave girl. From this quote, we also learn that she's quite well read. How do we know? Well she references Just So Stories (in which there is a Limpopo River). Most likely, the only other people who would know this book are Miss Honey, Mrs. Phelps, and Matilda. And Hortensia doesn't believe Matilda has read it.
Quote #5
The girl wearing the pigtails, Amanda Thripp, stood quite still, watching the advancing giant, and the expression on her face was one that you might find on the face of a person who is trapped in a small field with an enraged bull which is charging flat-out towards her. The girl was glued to the spot, terror-struck, pop-eyed, quivering, knowing for certain that the Day of Judgment had come for her at last. (10.55)
The Trunchbull gets compared to a lot of different animals in the book, and here she's compared to that namesake, the bull, as in Trunchbull. Now considering people spend most of their time running from bulls, it's no wonder Amanda's scared.
Quote #6
"She's mad," Hortensia said.
"But don't the parents complain?" Matilda asked.
"Would yours?" Hortensia asked. "I know mine wouldn't. She treats the mothers and fathers just the same as the children and they're all scared to death of her. I'll be seeing you some time, you two." And with that she sauntered away. (10.65-67)
The Trunchbull keeps getting scarier. She's all the more frightening because powers seem almost unlimited. No adults can stand up to her. It's one thing for children to be afraid of a grown-up. When other adults are afraid of that grown-up, too, you know things are really bad. (Why didn't any of the parents call the police? Or social services?)