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The Silkworm escapes James’s notice for the first part of the journey; he doesn’t fully realize she’s a sentient being until the Silkworm wakes up to spin thread so James can lasso seagulls. She’s sleepy and shy, and so she spends much of her time looking like a great white lump on the floor of the room inside the peach. In New York City, the Silkworm joins Miss Spider in spinning nylon to make ropes for tightrope walkers.
The Silkworm Quotes in James and the Giant Peach
The James and the Giant Peach quotes below are all either spoken by The Silkworm or refer to The Silkworm. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 21 Quotes
“Action stations!” James shouted. “Jump to it! There’s not a moment to lose!” He was the captain now, and everyone knew it. They would do whatever he told them.
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Chapter 37 Quotes
“Don’t be frightened of us, please!” James called out. “We are so glad to be here!”
“What about those others beside you?” shouted the Chief of Police. “Are any of them dangerous?”
“Of course they’re not dangerous!” James answered. “They’re the nicest creatures in the world! Allow me to introduce them to you one by one and then I’m sure you will believe me.”
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The Silkworm Character Timeline in James and the Giant Peach
The timeline below shows where the character The Silkworm appears in James and the Giant Peach. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 11
...On a sofa sits a Centipede and an Earthworm, while a thick white something—maybe a Silkworm—sleeps on the floor. Each creature is at least James’s size and looks terrifying. Suddenly, the...
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Chapter 20
...they can have as much string as James wants if they wake up the sleeping Silkworm downstairs. Miss Spider says she can also make string. She assures James the string will...
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Chapter 21
...Earthworm to climb back into the peach and sends the Centipede to wake up the Silkworm.
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Chapter 22
...to lasso the gulls. Inside the peach’s chamber, the Glow-worm lights the room so the Silkworm and Miss Spider can spin their thread.
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Chapter 23
...Miss Spider pulls the Centipede into a dance. Even the shy Glow-worm and the quiet Silkworm watch everyone else celebrate on top of the peach. When the excitement dies down, James...
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Chapter 26
...Centipede now teeters and falls off the edge of the peach. James yells for the Silkworm to start spinning and ties string around his waist. He tells his friends to pull...
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Chapter 37
...introduces the Centipede, the Earthworm, the Old-Green-Grasshopper, the Glow-worm, Miss Spider, the Ladybug, and the Silkworm. As he introduces each bug, James shares something good that they do. He mentions that...
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Chapter 39
...a company that makes women’s face creams. He acts in commercials for the creams. The Silkworm and Miss Spider learn to spin nylon thread and make ropes for tightrope walkers, while...
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