The Magic Finger

The titular Magic Finger is the catalyst for the story’s events. Despite its important role, it is a mystery. Neither the reader nor the narrator know much about it. The narrator introduces it thus: “The Magic Finger is something I have been able to do all my life. I can’t tell you just how I do it, because I don’t even know myself” (14). How it works and why it transforms people into animals is unclear. What we do know is that it metes out justice to the story’s characters.

The narrator has been trying not to use her powers: “For months I had been telling myself that I would never put the Magic Finger upon anyone again—not after what happened to my teacher, old Mrs. Winter” (10). The Magic Finger can transform people into animals. When the narrator is consumed with rage, the Magic Finger “jumps out and touches the person who has made me cross” (14). The Magic Finger appears to have a mind of its own. It punishes those who have upset the narrator.

The Magic Finger is depicted as something separate from the narrator. Though it is technically part of her, it is also autonomous. The narrator does not seem to have much, if any, control over her magic powers.